Introduction
The modern classrooms in the United States are composed of students from different backgrounds. To cater for this diversity, educators are encouraged to emphasize equity when handling the students. Educational equity is about giving students a fair learning environment that guarantees excellence for all the students irrespective of their backgrounds. The current system relies on educators to know about student diversity in to cater for all their unique needs in the classrooms (Sandra, Heather & Elizabeth, 2009). Through proper advanced training, teachers can appreciate some of the social, cultural and economic factors that can influence a student’s ability to cope with the challenges of academic life. The goal of professional development on equity in literacy is to ensure teachers become community and social leaders as well as catalysts who foster ethical and equitable learning environment.
The Basis of Equity in Literacy
Equity in literacy is one of the pillars that define education equity in the United States. Schools in the United States strive to promote fairness in their learning programs as part of the “No Child Left Behind” law passed in 2001. According to the existing U.S regulations, every child has the right to quality of education that guarantees success through the promotion of literacy. Despite the legal laws, not all students in schools are treated equally.
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According to research, certain factors can interfere with the teaching and learning process. Issues of cultural differences, gender, and economic backgrounds have been identified as some of the hindrances to equity in literacy (Flake, 2007).
The concept of equity in literacy places more emphasis on the learning process, and not the social environments that may impede the students’ literacy success. Educators are encouraged to create an enabling environment for students with talent to learn effectively without their social backgrounds being a source of a hindrance. There are two main components of education equity movement. The first aspect is to give students the freedom to express their ability and pursue their academic interests without any discrimination (Gangi, 2008). The second aspect is to ensure that every child in the classroom is given the right to basic reading and math skills.
Role of Teachers in Promoting Equity in Literacy
The classroom is the first environment where learning happens in a school system. Similarly, the class environment is the basic place where the concept of equity in literacy should be applied with some good results (Gangi, 2008). In modern teaching pedagogies, teachers’ syllabus emphasizes the importance of ethical teaching and fairness in the classroom. The idea is to ensure that teachers remain as professional as possible when in front of their students. In other words, the educators should focus only on helping students gain academic and literary excellence without having any social, cultural or economic prejudice against their students.
The teachers are always in direct contact with the students, and hence they know them better. The proximity with the students means that teachers are in better position to understand the social, cultural and economic factors that are likely to hinder a student’s learning process. Once the teachers understand the levels of disparity that exists in the society, they must create a platform that would help their students scale down such discrimination arising from discriminations (Flake, 2007).
Achieving fairness and equity in the classroom is not just about applying a teaching pedagogy in the classroom. Instead, teachers should instill in their students, the culture of tolerance to the various forms of diversity that exists in the society. The development of curriculum must be such that students are taught about diversity and how to be fair to their peers.
Today, there are programs that are tailor-made to help teachers appreciate the concept of equity in learning. Through such master’s degree, teachers are exposed to the idea of students’ rights to quality literacy education. According to Alrabail (2016), it is the teachers’ prerogative to educate their students on how social contexts can affect communities and the society.
The concept of equity in literacy should not only be limited to the classroom environment. According to Lempke (2008), teachers who appreciate fairness and ethical teaching should share the information with fellow teachers, as well as collaborate with parents and other stakeholders in education. The idea is to ensure that all the stakeholders in education work positively towards creating an environment of equity in the school system. The parents, according to Sandra, Heather, and Elizabeth (2009), also play a crucial role in promoting equity by how they teach their kids about the different forms of diversity that exist in the society.
Leadership is the tool with which someone may change the way people think. The concept of leadership can be applied to how teachers are expected to behave, to guarantee a sustainable environment of equity within their school environments. According to Kathryn (2016), teachers are supposed to provide leadership, both in their classrooms and outside classrooms by acting as the champions of equity and fairness on how students are handled. Through proper leadership, teachers can make sure that their colleagues also appreciate the principle of equity and fairness, and that they apply such principles to their teachers. The only way to have equity and justice as a sustainable philosophy in the school system is by making it an organizational culture.
Strategies to Achieve Equity in Literacy
Achieving equity in literacy is not an easy and, and therefore teachers must develop proven strategies to achieve the goals. For instance, teachers can start by learning about the different forms of diversity that exist in their society. According to Alrabail (2016), teachers who have a good understanding of the social, cultural and economic diversities in the society are in better position to promote equity and fairness among their students. Advanced learning of master’s education in education will introduce educators to the forms of diversity, and hence putting them in a better position to instruct their teachers on fairness.
Within the classroom environment, teachers are advised to use texts that promote diversity. Through such books, students are introduced different cultural backgrounds and how people of different cultures can coexist (Kathryn, 2016). Most importantly, teachers should pair together students of diverse backgrounds.
Conclusion
The goal of every education system is to improve the lives of students through learning. According to UNICEF, education is the only way to eliminate poverty and diseases (Gangi, 2008). The United States regulations guarantee that every child is given quality education through equitable, ethical and just teaching pedagogies that are free of any prejudice. Educators must use their skills and experience in fairness and equity to make sure that students treat their peers in a fair manner.
References
Alrabail, R. (2016). Equity for English-Language Learners. Edutopia-George Lukas Educational Foundation.
Flake, S. (2007). Who says black boys won’t read? Journal of Children’s Literature 34(1): 13–14.
Gangi, J. M. (2008). The unbearable whiteness of literacy instruction: Realizing the implications of the proficient reader research. Multicultural Review 17(1): 30–35
Kathryn, H. (2016) Balanced Literacy Instruction: Addressing Issues of Equity. Research Gate.
Lempke, S. (2008). Bridging the reading gap with early chapter books. Reading Today 34(1): 34.
Sandra, H., Heather, B., & Elizabeth, K. (2009). Promoting Equity in Children’s Literacy Instruction: Using a Critical Race Theory Framework to Examine Transitional Books. Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians.
