Racial equity is a form of justice for those who were oppressed through slavery (African American) and genocide (Native American) as well as settlement (Puerto Rico as well as Hawaii) and the loss of territory (Mexican American).
According to Jonathan Osler definition of equity, it seeks to compensate people who aren’t afforded the same opportunities as whites because of the long-standing history of legislation) and institutionalized racism (e.g. terms of merit that favor whites).
Teachers and administrators might not be aware that there is a problem with equity due to the biases and prejudices that are present in their training, education, and training. This could affect the outcomes of students as well as teacher performance, admissions practices, curriculum, and much more.
Equity is centered around “dismantling whiteness.” Whiteness is a system of values that favors white people over other people. In the field of education, it hinders historically marginalized students from achieving their full potential and professionals from making progress in their careers.
Take a look at these seven important insights about equity in education.
Equity Is Intertwined with Race
While racial equity is a popular issue in the field of education, the term is frequently misused by Jonathan Osler
In an article on the CUE’s website, she writes “I am now seeing equity in articles, initiatives, and even proposals. I see it in reports, presentations, and even in speeches. The term, which was previously thought to be divisive, specifically when it was associated with racial justice is now the norm.”
In its present form, racial equity is disconnected from its roots in racial justice. Schools are aware of the must incorporate it into policies, but there isn’t enough implementation. This is why whiteness-based culture continues to prevail. To truly be a part of equity, schools have to be more equity-conscious and audit their practices and, if necessary, modify their practices to become more racial equity.
Inequity Is Institutional
The reason inequity could be a bigger problem than most schools are aware of is because academia is a blind spot. “We’ve been socialized to think academia is a place that is race-neutral,” Jonathan Osler says.
Research might be partially at fault. In assessing student performance research tends to consider race as a factor, not a political or experience state. They may even not consider it.
A shift in the direction of research might be beneficial. Researchers currently study students to determine the factors that influence their motivation and academic performance. Yet, there is little research on faculty. Through a survey of the beliefs and practices of teachers to better understand what their beliefs about race affect the outcomes of their classes.
Teachers Help–and Hurt–Equity
Jonathan Osler explains that research shows that white students tend to be more likely to be vocal in classes than students of other races. Teachers aren’t taught to be racially proficient. They don’t understand what they can do to help improve inequality. Teachers can also be more inclusive by being conscious of race.
Another effective way for teachers to be more inclusive is to adopt a “first-generation” perspective. Students from the first generation of the college of color could have not had the same amount of training for college as other students.
In the same way, white teachers might do not know about the issues of minority students because they are not prepared to help their students. They could also attribute their ineffectiveness to weaknesses that they see in students of color.
Graduate Programs Can Train Equity-Minded Leaders
It’s important to develop leaders of equity-minded competency, Jonathan Osler says. In this regard graduate programs in education is a great instrument. The ideal scenario is that students complete their master’s and doctoral programs with the knowledge to create equity in the upper levels of their company. Be cautious when conducting your research, as not all programs are prepared to do this.
To properly prepare future practitioners and teachers, The school’s mission must explicitly state its commitment to equality, and the instructors must be aware of race. “Courses need to address whiteness as an institutional characteristic,” she says. What’s the takeaway? Find out the degree program aligns with your desire in improving equity.
Equity Is not the Same as Diversity
In the world of education Equity and diversity are often employed interchangeably, however they are distinct concepts. Although well-meaning, the effort to encourage diversity within schools has the unfortunate impact that it is “whitewashing” equity.
Diversity seeks to boost the representation of historically marginalized people in students as well as faculty and administrators. However, it does not always address the main problem of racial equity.
Persuade Leadership with Data
As an administrator what can you do to convince the top leaders that racial inequality on the subject of education is a serious problem? Jonathan Osler suggests using data. Research has shown the fact that previously marginalized children do much better when they have the same race teachers.
In the same way, economics can indeed be convincing. For instance, Latinos now outnumber whites as the biggest minority group in California. The state’s wealth is largely dependent on their education levels. Therefore, it is in academia’s best interest to provide more inclusive learning environments.
Academia Has Room for Improvement
Although the academic world has made progress in the fight to ensure equality in education, it’s got much to do. Jonathan Osler points out the roots of issues such as coding languages.
Problems with systems can take an extended time to resolve however, there are other effective ways to advance equality that could be put into practice in the near term by the leadership of the organization:
- Incentivize the admission and graduation of students from communities of people of color
- Faculty members who do value work for the sake of racial equity
- Employ more faculty members of color and faculty that are committed to equity
- Make sure that you hire first-generation faculty members who are also of ethnicity
