What is Educational Equity Truly?

What do our students really deserve?

Many Classrooms are still in desks, in rows, and solely doing the infamous gradual release of I do, we do, you do. I am just done with the idea that our students do not know what they need. Our students know – yet we suppress their true selves daily in order to force conformity to the knowledge that we think is best.

What is educational equity truly?

I do not think any real definition does it true justice. But I know where we all can start! It starts completely with the students’ experience. How can we call ourselves a space that encourages educational liberty but deny students access to learn more about themselves daily. Students sit passively in classes hating those classes – fighting each other – hating themselves – and we sit idly by pushing learning outcomes. How can students learn other life concepts, when we have not worked in tandem with the students to cultivate an environment where students can use their cultural context and intellect to learn more about themselves and in turn learn more about all content. That kind of deep transfer learning is happening through their own lens and not a forced prescription of reading glasses that America has prescribed to everyone.

What is educational equity truly?

I couldn't say exactly what it is. But I know how to stop inequities. You continue the fight for equity – by constantly doing it in action! You do it. Change teams, affinity teams, and teams, and teams, and teams are great. But unless you are putting it into action with recursive, transparent, inclusive, checked and continuously balanced systems – nothing will happen.

So.. what is educational equity truly?

• First, you have to define it for yourself through the above process that you just experienced. This process included reading many books by authors who practice educational equity, Listening to the BIPOC community and removing your own bias as much as you can daily, and being honest with who you are and how you show up in spaces – that includes how people see you in our social, cultural, and political construct of American society.

• Second, Start with the student experience – personalized learning and ensure students have access to everything they need to be successful – with the most important access point being themselves.

• Thirdly, Action – DO IT – LIVE IT – Create Systems and Procedures that are not cemented in the “Trash” (BMESTL, 2021) surface equity approach. But fully dismantling racialized systems and building entirely new ones that seek to remove barriers for groups of people who have historically been excluded.

You start – by starting – and never stopping.

What is educational equity truly?

We are. You are.

or

You are not.