Equity in education is a concept of sameness or equivalence or simply put it is all about fairness. It involves treating everyone fairly and equally. It is a fact that all people prefer the equal distribution of resources and according to research, there is a human aversion to inequality. Similarly, studies point out that individuals consider equal distribution as fair if there is no basis for differentiating the distribution of resources. Individuals prefer fairness over equivalence and in some situations, they perceive equal treatment as fair while in others they take unequal treatment as fair. Therefore fairness trumps equality as far as equity is concerned Stamens, Sheskin & Bloom, 2017). It is critical to consider fairness and inclusion in educational systems as the two factors depend on each other and are closely related to the success of an educational system. The importance of equity in education correlated to the quality of life in future. A system that offers educational equity forms a strong foundation for a fair and thriving society. The achievement of true equity requires a critical evaluation of the outcome, funding, resources and academic support among others from the perspective of the student and a larger system perspective. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a social problem of equity in education. It will identify the social issue of segregation faced by schools and possible ways to address the issues.
Problem Statement
A social problem is a condition or behavior with significant negative consequences to a large population. It should be recognized as a behavior or condition that needs to be addressed. Access to high-quality education is a dream for all students all over the world. Achieving quality education is a daunting task and the success of such objectives is slim. The functionality of the educational system in the U.S. in the past last fifty years has been a significant social issue (Linton, 2011). The Americans for example concentrated on educating the whites over the colored. Similarly, men had an upper hand over women. According to the National Educational Association (2016), public schools in the U.S. had more students of color in 2014 than whites. In contrast to this scenario, 84% of the teachers are whites and more than 40% of the public schools in the country have an all-white teacher population. Public schools in the U.S. practice segregation regardless of whether they were majority black, Hispanic or even mixed race. Such incidences raise questions as to the equity in education in the country. The current situation makes it difficult for the minority of groups to access quality education and makes them feel inferior. It also affects their performance in school which contributes to a lower quality of life. Understanding the current situation is therefore essential to the policymakers and other stakeholders since it will help them come up with remedial actions that will alleviate the current problem. Doing so will ensure that the minority groups including African Americans, Hispanics and Asians have access to quality education and are treated fairly.
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The vision of Change and Goal Clarification
Public schools and the educational systems should address social problems of segregation that are likely to affect equity in education. The entire process should guarantee fairness and equality to all students irrespective of their race or color. Students must not only believe in a fair system but should also see that the system exposes them to equal opportunities just like their white counterparts. The elimination of segregation will ensure that there is equity in education (Granvik Saminathen, Brolin Låftman, Almquist & Modin, 2018). Some of the specific goals that will help in achieving the desired state include; employing more teachers from the minority groups, providing equal opportunities to the students irrespective of their background, ensuring justice and equality for all students in public and private schools. Lastly, programs that are pro-minority should be formulated and implemented in all schools. The above changes will ensure that students from the minority groups have access to the resources and educational standards available to their white counterparts.
Historical Backgrounds and Current Condition
Segregation is a social problem that has affected public schools in the U.S. for a long time. There is significant student teacher diversity throughout the country. Similarly, the diversity gap has continued to narrow but at a much slower rate than expected. The situation has affected the distribution of qualified personnel including teachers which has continued to support the current status quo. Institutions of higher learning, for example, have been unable to produce adequate qualified teachers from the minority groups to counter the number of white teachers. There are significant issues emanating from the outcome, funding, resources and academic support as well as system-wide and student-related factors that affect equity in education. Historical factors have contributed to the segregation of minority groups as the dominant whites perceive the minorities as inferior (Ainscow, 2016; Linton, 2011). Economic factors have also contributed to the phenomenon as most families from minority groups have limited sources of income compared to the whites who are more wealthy and likely to achieve meaningful employment and high paying jobs.
Public education plays a critical role as a social institution by exposing the students to the new skill, talent, capabilities, and interest. It gives the students an opportunity to attend classes and to be taught by the qualified, passionate and well-informed teacher. The students are expected to work hard in the class and achieve new skill. The teachers are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that students perform at school. The teachers are expected to have a passion for the subject they teach in addit.ion to being an expert in that field. They should be flexible enough to be able to cater to different learning styles and to use various educational techniques (Granvik Saminathen, Brolin Låftman, Almquist & Modin, 2018). According to the functionalist theory, the educational system can guarantee social order and the stability of the society by eliminating cultural differences that affect equity in education.
Possible Direction for Desired Change
Different interventions can be used to achieve equity in education. The government can employ additional teachers from minority groups. Similarly, each school should have one or more teachers from the minority race. Alleviating the social problem requires concerted efforts and time. Similarly, it requires the dedication and willingness of all stakeholders. Three basic concepts can be used to address the social problem faced by minority groups; problem-solving which includes concerted efforts by the stakeholders to come up with an effective solution for addressing segregation (Ainscow, 2016). Different solutions are generated at this stage and the best course of action is selected from the available options. The next concept is the problem which is a task or situation that needs an intervention yet there is no readily available response in place. A solution is a coping mechanism or response to the problem and is a result of a problem-solving process.
Future Prospects
Segregation can be addressed by adopting different strategies in the educational system. the ultimate goal should be to achieve equity in education. It is therefore critical to address challenging behaviors that might affect the delivery of academic content in public schools. It is especially difficult to deal with such behaviors in students who are cultural, racially and ethnically different from the teacher. Such a scenario can make it difficult to maintain professionalism in situations where the diversity of the students is not understood (Ainscow, 2016). The following strategies can be useful in addressing stress and maintaining professionalism. Professionals should stay engaged. Similarly, they should expect and accept nonclosure. They should also speak their truth and lastly, they should experience discomfort. The teachers and supervisors must be aware that growth is an ongoing process for the staff and students (Granvik Saminathen, Brolin Låftman, Almquist & Modin, 2018). To achieve this, the staff should be well trained in diversity and how to addresses social related issues. These strategies can ensure that the social problem of segregation is eliminated by achieving equity in education.
References
Ainscow, M. (2016). Struggles for equity in education: The selected works of Mel Ainscow (1st ed.). London: Routledge.
Granvik Saminathen, M., Brolin Låftman, S., Almquist, Y., & Modin, B. (2018). Effective schools, school segregation, and the link with school achievement. School Effectiveness And School Improvement , 29 (3), 464-484. doi: 10.1080/09243453.2018.1470988
Linton, C. (2011). Equity 101- The Equity Framework . Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Stamans, C, Sheskin, M & Bloom, P (2017). Why people prefer unequal societies. Nature Human Behaviour . Vol 1, Article No. 82.
