Education Equity: The Missing Elements

From Herb Kohl:

...Do all children have the same opportunities to learn? We were careful to avoid the question of poverty, family background, etc., because we wanted to make strictly educational arguments. We wanted to focus specifically on the conditions of schooling and make the opportunity to learn an equity issue. In this context we wanted to create a series of measures of equity, amongst which were:

What are the facilities necessary to promote equitable learning?

- What is an equitable ratio of students to teachers?

- What is the range and scope of a learning program that promotes equitable learning – this would include the arts, opportunity for athletics and cultural learning, advanced placement courses, science labs?

-What are the credentials teachers are expected to have to produce excellence in learning?

-What kind of wages and conditions of work contribute to educational opportunity for children?

-What kinds of supplies and equipment must all school have access to (text books, computers, etc.)?

-What kind of facilities should house an equitable learning environment for all children?

-What kind of standards and measures should be used to measure a school’s effectiveness as an equitable learning institution?

-What role should parents and community organizations play to ensure equitable schools in their communities?...

h/t Fred Klonsky