How Can Schools be More Equitable?
There is a strong line between equality and equity. Within society, we all want to be seen as equal however to become equitable is to provide everyone with things that specifically would help them and their needs. So how can schools be more equitable?
Schools can become more equitable by establishing appropriate school funding to different districts. Some teachers are spending all of their own time and money to get resources for their students that would benefit their learning experience. Unfortunately, throughout the world there is school districts that are low income and therefore can't provide resources that students will need. While on the other hand, high income school districts are performing at high levels because they have those needed resources. People don't realize that school funding has a major impact on the success of students. The article Unequal School Funding in the United States explains some of the effects on children due to the lack of funds. One of the ideas was teacher qualifications that greatly enhance student competency tests since they are normally in a higher income school with good funding as well as students being able to be spread out to reduce class size and focus within the classroom (Biddle, B. J., Berliner, D. C., n.d.).
Funding is a major step to schools becoming more equitable however, communities need to come together to support the needs of students. Schools can provide extra help for students that need it whether it is creating a school program or simply educators setting time to assist students and get to know them. Teachers should not assume that all students have access to electronics or different resources outside of the classroom. Understanding where students come from is something that can build stronger connections and an overall positive learning experience. Students will want to learn and ask questions if they feel that they are welcomed and included as well as when their community supports them. 
Hi Reanna! This was such an amazing article- you are going to be a great educator! I think my favorite part of your blog was towards the end when you were talking about teachers assuming children may have access to technology. I was just having a conversation with someone on that topic a few days ago. I understand that teachers put so much into their classrooms but I think sometimes they may stagger and forget that some students don't know have access to outside sources. I saw a video of a teacher not telling parents about a communal supply bin and just putting everything into one large pile. A woman then commented on it and said it made her upset because she put most of her paycheck into buying her children good supplies. I have a question, do you think that there is a common ground between equality and equity? I too believe that there are some major differences between the two. However, I do think that there is a common ground and that is funding. As you stated, funding is a very important part of making sure there is equity in the school system and classroom.
ReplyDeleteHi Payton, thanks for your kind words! That is sad about the teacher not informing the parents on that supply bin. It just shows how parents do not have the right funding to be able to provide resources for their children which is something teachers need to consider when assigning work. I am confused on your funding being the common ground. Are you saying that funding should be equal between school districts in order to become more equitable for the students? I think that it depends on the area and how the community can also help with resources for students. The 2 terms have a common ground within an attempt to be fair however being fair is different based on the needs of a person.
DeleteHey Raeanna! I loved your part of your post about how teachers will sometimes have to spend their own money and time to get the resources they need that administration doesn't provide. Teachers just want what is best for their students and sometimes have no choice but to buy the resources themselves. But it shouldn't work that way. On analogy that relates to this problem is like telling a doctor to perform surgery on a patient only using kitchen utensils/supplies. In other words with funding not being distributed evenly some schools might just not have the right resources. Also you brought up a good point of how teacher should never assume all students have access to technology. When I was in middle school, my school gave us small laptops to use for the year and we were allowed to take them home with us. One day my whole class had to leave them at school for some reason. But my science teacher still gave us homework that could only be completed on the laptop and I didn't have a computer at home. Thankfully I wasn't the only one who wasn't able to completed the assignment due to lack of technology outside of school. My science teacher should have taken into account of what her students have access to at home and not assume everyone had a computer at home.
ReplyDeleteHey Reanna! I love that you touched on school funding because, I agree, it plays a vital role in lives of the students and the overall performance of the education system as a whole.
ReplyDeleteIt totally makes sense when there are schools out there that have funding and seem to be thriving while other schools don't have funding and we wonder why students and the system as a whole seem to be failing. We have to understand the correlation and set the priorities straight. I love your thought about "educators simply setting time to assist students and get to know them." I think this idea is so overlooked and it is crucial to the development of each child in school. I think far to many people overlook this so I'm glad you touched on this because I see your heart as a teacher! Providing students with extra help and creating school programs is taking that next step to creating a successful environment where each student is seen, heard and accepted.
-Kenzie Jones
Hi Kenzie, first off, thank you! There are so many things that can be brought up within this topic and how to overcome the lack of funding. At the end of the day, students just want to have fun and succeed within their learning to prepare for the real world. The least students could want is for a role model to understand them and learn things they might need help with by taking the time to listen and bond with them. The programs do not even have to be funded, simple tasks can be done throughout the community
DeleteHi Reanna, I love that your post has shined some light on funding issues that are present in many schools across the US. I could not agree more with you that school funding plays a large part in regards to the success of our students, when we are able to provide our students with all of the tools and supplies that they need to succeed there is an obvious difference in performance. I really liked that you included a outside source in your post, we can talk as much as we want to about how important funding is in the education system but if we don't have the facts to back the arguments up we might as well not even fight and that is exactly what you did, you supported your argument. Once again great post, very informative and well thought out.
ReplyDeleteHi Reanna, your statement about teachers having to use their own money to provide resources for their students was eye catching to me because it highlights the root of the problem when it comes to making schools more equitable, which is proper funding. It is sad to see that higher powers such as district boards and government officials do not realize the impact that low funding has on not only schools, but our students. I believe this is the case because the right people are not representing our teachers and students, and we see people who have never stepped foot inside of a "low-income" classroom making decisions on where the money goes to. Your insight on the topic is very engaging and makes me wonder how future generations of teachers will initiate this change in order to receive adequate funding for schools that need it the most. Thank you for contributing to this weeks discussion, you will make an amazing teacher one day by coming to these realizations so early on!
ReplyDeleteEquity in terms of schools especially public schools is an important topic as we need to establish a president to give help to low-income schools as those students require the most help. The resources a school has shouldn't be reflective of the community the school is around. The resources should go to schools that will benefit from them the most. Providing as much opportunity to our students should be the goal in regards to bringing equity to our schools. Educators alone have to provide many materials throughout the year as you stated in your post, this has been something that has been going for a while now. Yet public school systems have yet to invest in the resources or supplies for the day-to-day life of their students. The switch to mostly online mediums for teaching and turning in work has also hurt students of low-income areas, as many of them might not even have access to the internet or computers outside the local library which don't have twenty-four-hour computer use. Overall the distribution of resources and the lack of accountability for district boards when deciding how much funding to give schools is a major problem in our school system that needs to be corrected for our students to be given equal chances regardless of where they live.
ReplyDeleteHi Reanna! I agree, obviously schools with better funding and going to do better academically than lower income schools. People like to say there is no "point" in funding those lower income schools based on their low academic reputation but have they ever thought of why? If we gave the same resources to every single student like transportation, technology (at school AND at home), a fulfilling meal, emotional support etc., I can guarantee we would have successful students all around. Your statement about teachers not assuming all students have the same resources at home is also very valid. I remember being one of the only people in my class who did not have WI-FI at home in elementary school, and my teacher instead of excusing me or printing out work me told my parents they NEED to install WI-FI then. Like, did she think we didn't have Wi-FI because we just chose not to, rather than using her thinking cap an realizing the funds were not there. Teachers need to understand where their students come from like you said so everyone has a positive learning experience.
ReplyDeleteYasmin, thanks for sharing your personal experience! Your teachers response to your parents is insane. That is why I hope the new generations of upcoming teachers learn to understand their students and can even put themselves in the students shoes. Schools are becoming more advanced in technology in which some families might not be able to positively adjust to this change. It makes me sad when I hear people talking about giving up on schools that are performing low in scores. I suggest watching the movie Beyond the Blackboard if you haven't already. It's a really good movie that relates to this idea of low income schools that becomes flipped by a teacher that really cares about the well being of her students!
DeleteHi Reanna!
ReplyDeleteYou make a lot of great points. Funding in schools is such a large issue and it plays such an important role in students' educational experiences. I agree that unfortunately a lot of issues stem from lack of funding in schools and that it has been seen that schools with higher funding tend to have better performance in school. I have heard numerous stories about teachers having to pay out of their own pocket to buy things for their classroom, which I think shows that there is a problem as the school should be able to provide these things. It is also such a great point that not every student has access to the same things at home, therefore we must come together to guarantee that students have resources readily available and do everything we can to create an equitable environment for our students.
-Lauren
Hey there Reanna! I just really wanted to first say that I completely agree with all your points you made in your blog. I always tend to see teachers spend tons of their own money on students and things for their classroom. My grandma was a teacher and she can confirm this. I think it is sad and somewhat irresponsible of the budget management team that the teachers have to pay for their own teacher supplies. If teachers salaries are already barely comfortable why should they also pay for things that help them teach. Its like telling a receptionist to pay for a company phone so she can answer it. It just does not make sense. Plus teachers do major hours in overtime work. Supplies for students should also be supplied and we should not assume that all students can afford these luxuries. Like you said many students cannot always afford pens and pencils let alone a computer for home. We need to seriously take a hard look into the school budgeting system.
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