The Sides of Education Equity

Lindsey Ambrose

English 12

Messer

15 March 2017
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Is it not true that well educated individuals help fuel the economy? If that is the case, how

can America remain one of the most powerful countries economically and not even near the top

of the PSIT (a test that compares how groups of students from different countries perform in

certain subjects). Truth is, our education system is no longer doing us justice. Our graduation

rate as of 2013 was 75.5%, compared to a country like Finland who ranked at the top of the PSIT

and has over a 90% graduation rate (Partanen, Anu) (Schools). The difference between them and

us- their main focus is equity (Partanen, Anu). Today, education equity still remains a touchy

subject in the U.S. The question is, how can society better regulate a childs right to fair

educational opportunities against school institutions and the government that feel education is

something to compete for?

Since the 1960s, America has been striving for more equal education opportunities. Lyndon B.

Johnson created the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to help improve equity for

low income families. In 2002 it was updated and called No Child Left Behind. Annual testing

showed that,

...Under-achievement of the most vulnerable students had been masked in the old system

of reporting. African American, Hispanic, special education, English-language-learning

and many other students were being left out or left behind because schools were not held

accountable for their individual progress and growth (ESEA).

Students of particular backgrounds are at a disadvantage and with these standardized tests put in

place by the act, the schools can be held accountable. If a school is failing to reach a certain goal
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that is put in place by the state, they will face government intervention. They offer tutoring

options and better teachers, and this is where school of choice comes in.

Many problems lie in this despite its efforts to close the gap. First, it is testing for how much

their students know rather than how much their students are learning (ESEA). Just because a

certain number of students are not proficient, does not mean they are not learning. The tests

themselves, are also not exactly trustworthy. The states themselves design them, so one state

could make their test much easier to show higher scores if they wanted to. Another problem

that lies is, teachers are typically the ones that are held accountable.

...schools need to look beyond improving the skill sets of teachers who work in

high-poverty areas...need to focus on the opportunity infrastructure. ...The close the

door and teach mentality hasnt helped us. Individual teachers do great work, but the

structure around us needs retooling (Equity).

Individual teachers are not the problem here. They are doing their jobs. They are following the

laws and regulations set in place for them. The problem that exists is the systems themselves.

Over the years, despite some flaws, the ESEA has successfully addressed education equality.

All students these days are given the exact same education (by state). All children no matter what

race, gender, or economic background, can get an education. They are given the same exact

learning materials. The ESEA has helped to promote better teachers. The U.S finally has

overcome that obstacle, but the problem is not equality. The problem is equity.

Equality is about sameness; it focuses on making sure everyone gets the same thing.

Equity is about fairness; it ensures that each person gets what he or she needs

(Equity-Mindedness).
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Equity entails that all children will receive as many opportunities they need to reach the same

educational standard as everyone else. That could mean outside tutoring or more one on one time

with a teacher. It also means that,

...schools should be healthy, safe environments for children. This starts with the

basicsoffer all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological

counseling, and individualized student guidance (Partanen, Anu).

For children not victims of poverty, some of these amenities mean nothing. These issues do not

affect them, but for poor children that may live in rough neighborhoods, these are essential. Not

having these basic needs can cause young children stress that makes them unable to focus in

school. Being unable to focus, can cause behavioral issues and cause them to fall behind at an

early age. An example of this is a comparison between two groups of students in Chicago from

1992-1998,

I ran an I have a Dream program...and for 6 years worked with a group of sixth graders.

And at the end of that, 87 percent graduated from high school. The class ahead of ours,

from Shakespeare Elementary School, had a 33 percent high school graduation rate....

Same families, same communities, same socioeconomic challenges, but different set of

opportunities (Duncan, Arne).

Simply giving the impoverished students an extra outlet outside of school for extra learning

opportunities and a safe place to avoid partaking in their neighborhood crimes, improved their

rate of success. The problem is, opportunities like that do not exist for everyone who needs them.

More opportunities have been opened up for minorities and there are many successful people that

grew up in hardship. However, there are not opportunities in all communities. Many children are
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left out. The graduation rate has been increasing, but the amount of jobs for people without a

secondary education is now less than 5% . There are still plenty of minorities who are not

graduating (Leadership).

Education equity seems to be a good thing. It can improve the success rate of our youth

starting from a young age. However, it comes with downfalls as well. Typically with education

equity, like in Finland, standardized testing is not used. Individualized tests are given instead.

Much of the competition is taken away and private schools diminish. The common concern of an

American is,

How can you keep track of students performance if you dont test them constantly? How

can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for

good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do

you provide school choice (Partanen, Anu)?

These concerns are why equity has not been a main focus in the U.S yet. We currently use

standardized tests to monitor progress of students and to see what schools are needing a bit of a

push. But in the eyes of education equity, standardized tests seem to be a one size fits all

approach, because not all students are proficient in all subjects but they are still learning. We

currently need some form of standardized testing though, to keep track of performance levels

among different schools, especially to compare schools in impoverished areas to

non-impoverished areas; that way we know which schools to improve upon.

The loss of private schools is not necessarily a good thing either. Many parents prefer to put

their children in private schools because they want to choose the education their kids receive (for

example, a religious based education). If a parent has the money and can afford it, they should be
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able to buy their childs education. But then again, that would not be considered equity

because their child is given more opportunities than the child stuck in a public school.

Equity also lacks competition. In equity, children are meant to all be at the same level even if

it means giving a bit of extra help. That means, children that have an easier time learning certain

material are unable to progress far ahead other students. They are being held back from their full

potential. Like in the image, Taking the Lead on Equity and Opportunity: Equity Mindedness,

Instead of having a few proficient students, a few at grade level students, and a few not reaching

their grade level at all, all students reach the exact same knowledge. We would be giving up

bright minds in sacrifice for equity,

So the question remains, what is the best option? The first option is further enforcing

education equity. Currently, only 13 states have an education equity litigation (History).

Education equity has already been proven to be effective in Finland, and offering more

opportunities has been proven to be effective in communities in the U.S. Removing standardized

tests allow teachers to individualize their education for certain groups of students. They no

longer have to worry about meeting common core requirements, and instead can worry about

each and every students educational need. Offering more options for tutoring and outside help
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allows students to be more actively involved in their education and get the extra boosts they need

to be successful. Students and teachers both will have less pressure to compete. Students can

worry about actually learning and understanding the material rather than simply getting the

highest test score, and teachers can focus on educating their students to their own standard rather

than the governments. From equitys standpoint,

...the goal of the educational policy in the U.S...is to preserve American competitiveness...to

win at that game, a country has to prepare not just some of its population well, but all of

its population well (Partanen, Anu).

The second option, would be to continue to enforce equality, but not worry about equity and

instead enforce competitiveness. Enforcing equity can be costly. Schools will be forced to pay

for more student benefits such as outside programs like the I Have a Dream program in

Chicago. Teachers will be worried about tutoring all their students and in a way, babying them.

Students will no longer be held accountable for working hard on their own. It adds another

burden to school systems. In the real world, such as in college and jobs, extra assistance is not

given. Adults are expected to be innovative and have problem solving skills. From interviewing

Mrs. Shore, a psychology teacher at Western High School, she believes one of the problems in

our education system is we are not preparing students for the real world. She says,

We dont give enough options early on in students education to explore careers, trades,

colleges...the more you know, the more informed choice you can make to become

successful.
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The other thing about the real world, its competitive. Adults have to compete for jobs and

success. If they want to stay out of poverty, they have to work hard to get out of it.

Competitiveness is apart of human nature. Mrs. Shore says,

Competition is a motivator for many. As human beings, it is natural for us to fight for

what we need and to some, winning is a need more than a want.

Part of competition is also school of choice. With school of choice and private schooling, schools

compete with each other to be the best school. Teachers and staff are motivated to work hard to

make the best environment possible for learning. Their reward, more students and more money

to put back into the school system.

Moving forward, the U.S needs to consider both sides of the situation and balance it.

Ensuring opportunities, especially early on, for all children is important. The schools and

government should ensure children have everything they need (basic needs) to be successful.

Competition should also not be completely thrown out. As students get older, they need to be

held accountable for themselves and learn to compete for opportunities they want. They need be

innovative and hard working no matter what hardship they face. Think of it as a professional

runner. It would not be fair if they started every race three meters behind everyone else. They

also could not be successful never having ran a race.

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Works Cited

"The ABC's of ESEA and No Child Left Behind." Education Post. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"Education, Leadership and Equity: A Look Forward." Education, Leadership and Equity: A

Look Forward | U.S. Department of Education. 14 Dec. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"Increasing Educational Opportunity through Equity." Increasing Educational Opportunity

through Equity | U.S. Department of Education. 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"Is America Ready to Talk About Equity in Education?" NEA Today. 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 09

Mar. 2017.

"The Leadership Conference Education Fund Releases New Report on Education Equity." The

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

McCuen@aacu.org. "Step Up & Lead for Equity: What Higher Education Can Do to Reverse

Our Deepening Divides." Association of American Colleges & Universities. 14 June 2016.

Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

Partanen, Anu. "What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success." The Atlantic.

Atlantic Media Company, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"Posts about What Makes Finlands Education So Unique and Successful on The Yin and Yang

of Life Anywhere." The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

Shore, Kimberly. Personal interview. 5 March 2017.