Something I thought that was very interesting from the supplemental reading was that geographic region contributes to student diversity. I always knew that race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, etc. all contributed, but I never considered geographic region.
The education system is inherently unequal for all students. One specific example of this is state standardized assessments. Often on these assessments, some groups perform better than others. These groups can be based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. The questions on these assessments often include references to cultural norms that might not be understood by people from different cultures.
As a teacher, I could help Alice by creating assignments that focus on English grammar so that she won't publicly be put on the spot. When talking to her in private, I could reinforce the fact that there is "formal" and "informal" speaking, and "formal" is expected at school. By using the words "formal" and "informal" instead of "standard" and "non-standard" I will make her feel more comfortable.
Assessments are very unfair to students from different backgrounds. Some of these students might not have English as their first language, which makes it more difficult for them to even complete the test.
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