explain the problem of ensuring equity
Answers
Equity in education is a goal everyone in education can get behind. What educator doesn’t want to see all students have an equal opportunity for success?
But it’s not always easy to define precisely what we mean when we talk about equity. Is it about outcomes? Resources? Funding? Academic support?
Achieving true equity will require looking at all of these aspects and more, from both a larger systems perspective and an individual student perspective. Let’s take a closer look at what we mean by educational equity and what school leaders and teachers can do to improve equity at the school and classroom level.
What Do We Mean By Equity, Anyway?
There are many different ways that we can define equity. The dictionary definition of equity is “justice according to natural law or right; freedom from bias or favoritism.” When we talk about equity in education, we usually mean something similar to “fairness.” But what does this look like in practice at the national, district, school, classroom, or individual student level?
Much has been made of the difference between equity and equality. While equality means treating every student the same, equity means making sure every student has the support they need to be successful.
Equity in education requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success. That requires understanding the unique challenges and barriers faced by individual students or by populations of students and providing additional supports to help them overcome those barriers. While this in itself may not ensure equal outcomes, we all should strive to ensure that every child has equal opportunity for success
Aspects of Educational Equity
The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) defines two dimensions of equity in education:
Fairness, which means ensuring that personal and social circumstances do not prevent students from achieving their academic potential.
Inclusion, which means setting a basic minimum standard for education that is shared by all students regardless of background, personal characteristics, or location.
Achieving these standards requires looking at equity from several different aspects.
Monetary resources: Is school funding equitable? Do schools serving populations with greater needs have access to the resources they need to effectively serve these students?
Academic standards: Are all students held to high performance standards? How are standards modified to accommodate students with special needs?
Academic content and support: Do all students have access to high-quality content that fits their educational needs? What supports are provided for students who need extra help to achieve academic goals? Do all students have highly qualified teachers who are well prepared to meet their needs?
OECD has outlined ten critical steps to equity in education that encompass educational design, practices, and resourcing.
Promoting Equity at the School and Classroom Level
While some aspects of equity in education must be addressed on a broader systemic scale, there are many things that can be done at the individual school and classroom level to create a more equitable environment for students. Achieving equity is closely tied to personalized learning: it requires understanding each student’s individual needs and designing educational experiences that will help all students achieve success.