There’s always a lot of discussion on how equality is very important to reinforce in our schools but we also need to take into account how reinforcing equity is another step we have to take as educators to help our students succeed. First, let’s talk about how equity and equality are different from each other:
Equality is the state of being equal in terms of status, rights, and opportunities.
Equity is the fairness or justice in terms of how people are treated.
There are multiple ways schools ensure equality but when it comes to equity it seems to be shoved to the side since by giving everyone equal opportunities may seem like enough of an effort for certain individuals, however just because items or opportunities are available to everyone that doesn’t mean there’s the same amount of fairness for everyone. Schools can address this by allowing more aid to those who truly need it so they can also succeed in these equal opportunities.
Another way schools can become more equitable is by addressing one of the biggest topics surrounding this conversation, funding. By understanding the difference in the funding within the United States and even other countries, the funding in the United States even heavily varies from state to state and it’s even worse as we look into districts and zoning. How are children supposed to have equal opportunities when other schools receive more funding? There has to be more attention drawn into it in order to ensure all students are given what they need in order to succeed along with their more fortunate peers.
Hi Andrea!!
ReplyDeleteI loved the pictures you used in your blog to discuss equity and equality. I think this was a unique way to discuss the issue we seen in classrooms today. I think it is also important to discuss the funding for all public schools. This opens the door to get people attention on how not all students are given the same educational opportunities.
There were actually a few other pictures that were better than this one, but I felt like this specific picture fit my prompt. Thank you for reading!
DeleteHi Andrea! I really enjoyed getting to read your post! I liked the picture that you included to show the difference between equality and equity. I honestly have never really thought about the difference between the two until recently, but I thought the visual you provided was helpful to understand the difference between these two terms. I also agree that federal and state funding in the United States for education needs to be reevaluated and redistributed in order to ensure that schools are not just equal but that they are equitable as well. I was wondering if you had any ideas as to how you want to make your classroom more equitable for students. Overall, I thought your post was very well written and I thought you provided some great insight.
ReplyDeleteHey Andrea,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, a lot of people brush over equity. I think it require a little bit more dedication and focus to truly instill equity in our schools. Funding is a huge part of it, I mean I cannot believe we still have schools that have out of date textbooks, faulty A/C and heating, little to no technology, and even things like not having clean water. In cases like I mentioned, yes they have an "equal" opportunity at learning however they still face several roadblocks that would stop them from achieving like other, well -resourced schools. I think America has a long way to go when it comes to education. Integrating our schools racially is one thing, however I think it will be a little while longer until we have people that are willing to part ways with their money in order to help students they are not attached to.
Thank you for this insightful post :)