More on equity
Is equity possible? I suppose in a perfect world equity is possible. In my earlier post, I suggested that equity is synonymous with fairness. So to change the question around a bit, is fairness possible. I have been told, “Life isn’t fair,” and I may even be guilty of telling others that same line a time or two. I think at some point in time everyone has felt like they have been treated unfairly by someone. So I really don’t believe equity is possible.
Is equity desireable? Certainly. I think everyone wants to be treated fairly and is entitled to that. However, what I believe to be fair and what you believe to be fair may or may not be in alignment. This is why I believe the issue of equity is subjective not objective.
How does equity relate to NCLB? I think the mere name of this law implies that at some time in the past there have been children left, dropped, or ignored by our educational system. I also believe that it implies it’s not the majority of children. If it were the majority of children being left behind, the name of the law would be different. It means to me that one child failing is too many. One novice performance is one too many. So equity is what NCLB is about. Regardless of your gender, race, ethnic background, disability, or free or reduced lunch status, you will have the opportunity to gain an education that is fair in terms of access, instruction, assessment, materials, and attitudes. For example, a sub-group we look at closely at my school are students with disabilities. This isn’t the majority of my students but a small percentage. We are working to make the curriculum more accessible to this group of students given their needs to they can be successful in learning it.
