Equity in Education: A Coalition-Driven Approach to Fairness and Justice

Achieving equity in education is a multifaceted and critical endeavor that demands the active participation of all stakeholders. This article explores the concept of equity in education, highlighting the role of coalitions and various initiatives aimed at fostering fairness, justice, and impartiality within the educational system. Equity goes beyond simply providing the same resources to everyone; it recognizes that learners have diverse needs and backgrounds that must be addressed to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

Defining Equity in Education

Equity in education is often defined as a sense of fairness, justice, or impartiality. It's essential to distinguish equity from equality. While equality means providing the same amount to everyone, equity involves recognizing that individuals start from different places and require different levels of support to achieve equal outcomes. Equity is about creating opportunities for all learners to thrive, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances.

The Role of Equity Officers

Several school districts are taking proactive steps to advance equity within their institutions. For example, districts such as Abington have full-time equity officers dedicated to assessing and cultivating equity in schools. These officers play a crucial role in identifying disparities, implementing strategies to address them, and fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students.

Collaborative Efforts: The Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity (DVCEE)

Collaborative efforts are essential for promoting equity on a larger scale. The Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity (DVCEE) serves 39 school districts in Greater Philadelphia, along with three county intermediate units and the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Over the past fifteen years, DVCEE has developed a unique, cost-effective, and self-sustaining regional school district consortium model for addressing priority areas in education. This model demonstrates the power of collaboration in achieving common goals and promoting equitable outcomes for students across multiple districts.

Identifying Racial Disparities: ProPublica's Interactive Database

Identifying and addressing racial disparities is a critical aspect of promoting equity in education. ProPublica, in collaboration with the Department of Education, has developed an interactive database called "Is There Racial Inequality at Your School?" This database allows users to examine racial disparities in educational opportunities and school discipline, providing valuable insights into areas where interventions are needed.

The Impact of Teacher Diversity

Research consistently highlights the importance of teacher diversity in promoting equitable outcomes for students, particularly students of color.

Student-Teacher Racial Match and Academic Outcomes

A comprehensive review by Redding (2019) examined the extent to which Black and Latino/a students benefit from being assigned to teachers of the same race/ethnicity. The review found that same-race teachers tend to give more favorable ratings of classroom behavior and academic performance. There is also strong evidence suggesting that Black students score higher on achievement tests when assigned to a Black teacher.

Bohrnstedt (2017) conducted a high-level statistical analysis that further supports the positive impact of Black and Hispanic teachers on students of color. These findings underscore the importance of diversifying the teaching workforce to better reflect the student population and provide all students with access to culturally relevant and responsive instruction.

Teacher Expectations and Student Performance

Gershenson, Holt, & Papgeorge (2016) found that student-teacher demographic match significantly affects teacher expectations, which are strongly linked to student performance. This highlights the importance of ensuring that teachers hold high expectations for all students, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Addressing Underrepresentation in Gifted Programs

Grissom & Redding (2016) found that high-achieving students of color are often under-referred to Gifted and Talented programs when taught by non-Black teachers. This suggests that implicit biases may play a role in perpetuating inequities in access to advanced educational opportunities.

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Beyond Black-White Teacher Diversity

Egalite, Kisida, & Winters (2015) found the effects of own-race teachers on student achievement extended beyond Black-White teacher diversity, indicating the importance of representation for various racial and ethnic groups.

Long-Term Impacts of Same-Race Teachers

Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsay, & Papageorge (2018) examined the long-run impacts of same-race teachers, further emphasizing the lasting benefits of teacher diversity.

Relational Interactions and Racial (Mis)match

Battey, Leyva, Williams, Belizario, Graco, & Shah (2018) explored relational interactions as a racialized mechanism in middle school mathematics classrooms, shedding light on how racial (mis)match can affect student experiences.

Teachers, Race, and Student Achievement in a Randomized Experiment

Dee (2004) conducted a randomized experiment that examined the relationship between teachers, race, and student achievement, providing further evidence of the impact of teacher diversity.

Equity in Civic Learning

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) recognizes the importance of equity in civic learning. Civic learning encompasses the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for students to become engaged and responsible citizens. However, there is no standard definition of "civic learning," making it essential to consider the diverse perspectives and experiences that students bring to the classroom.

Inclusiveness and Multiple Viewpoints

NCSS promotes inclusiveness by encouraging and ensuring that multiple viewpoints are shared, supported, and respected. This involves creating opportunities for underrepresented groups to actively participate and ensuring that all voices are heard. By fostering an inclusive space for learning, educators can empower students to engage in meaningful discussions and take informed action on civic issues.

Civic Engagement and Readiness

The act of taking informed action is a pure demonstration of civic engagement and readiness. When students base their actions on the unique needs, interests, and resources of their communities, it exemplifies a focus on equity.

Reshaping the Approach to Learning and Teaching

To foster equity in civic learning, schools should dedicate social studies instructional time every day starting in kindergarten, create thoughtful assessments of civic skills and content, commit to supporting professional learning for educators, and use high-quality curriculum and materials.

Addressing Systemic Issues: Funding and Mandates

Addressing systemic issues such as funding disparities and unfunded mandates is crucial for creating a more equitable education system.

The Base Student Allocation (BSA) in Alaska

In Alaska, the Base Student Allocation (BSA) is a key component of public education funding. The Coalition for Education Equity passed a Member Resolution calling for a raise to the BSA. A report by Mike Bronson, NAACP Anchorage education committee, looks at how the base student allocation (BSA) and the numbers of teachers correlate with the drop in student proficiency over recent years.

False Choices and Public Education Funding

Public debates often get reduced to simplistic, headline-friendly narratives. In Alaska, one of the most persistent false choices is the idea that increasing public education funding - by raising the Base Student Allocation, or BSA -must come at the expense of the Permanent Fund dividend (PFD).

Unfunded Mandates

After its presentation at the joint Senate and House Education Committee meeting on February 19, the Alaska Municipal League shared a list of Public School Mandates with the committees. Attached is a review of State statutes, which identifies what could be considered unfunded mandates.

Analyzing Student Growth and Proficiency

A new report by Mike Bronson examines the relationship between student growth and proficiency. Looking at Anchorage third grade growth and proficiency scores, the report finds that the state is not providing adequate opportunities for students to learn to state performance standards.

Charter School Performance

This report from Beth Zirbes and Mike Bronson examines results from Alaska’s in-state academic assessments of public school students during the 2018-2019 school year to determine how much of the charter schools’ performance might be attributable to characteristics that students bring to the schools versus the education the schools provide.

Threats to Public Education

Classroom visits are a gift. This report is a collaborative effort between the Partnership for Equity & Education Rights (PEER) and 31 education advocacy organizations spanning 19 states. PEER is a national network of organizers, advocates, lawyers, and community leaders focused on reinvestment in public education. While vouchers have yet to reach Alaska, it is critical to be aware of any and all potential threats to our public education.

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