Education Equity
Education is a basic human right. The
UN, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (
UNESCO), the European Union (
EU) and many other parties subscribe to this notion.
[1]
Educational equity, or equity in education, is the study and achievement of
fairness in education. The study of educational equity is often linked with the study of
excellence and
equity.
[2]
Beyond equal educational
opportunity, educational
equity is based on the principles of
fairness and
justice in allocating
resources,
opportunities,
treatment, and
success for every student. Educational equity programs promote the real
possibility of equality of educational results for each student and between diverse groups of students.
[3]
From a scientific point of view, the human species is a single
race. It is therefore
misleading to use terms such as races and racial groups. Nevertheless, the term racial group is enshrined in legislation, and phrases such as race equality and
race relations are in widespread official use.
[4]
Race Equity in education means the
assignment of
students to
public schools and within schools without regard to their
race. This includes providing students with a full
opportunity for
participation in all educational
programs regardless of their race.
[5]
Educational equity has two interrelated dimensions. One is the issue of
fairness, in that achievement ought to be based upon ability and application, and not on factors such as
gender,
socio-economic status or
ethnicity. The second is that all individuals have a right to basic functioning literacy and numeracy.
The numbers correspond to the avergae difference of points in the results of the
PISA test of a student from a high
socio-economic level and a student from a low
socio-economic level in their respective country. A higher number represents a more unequal education system whilst a smaller number indicates a more equal education system.
[6]
The Commission on Equity and Excellence in Education issues a seminal report in 2013. It is not a restatement of public education's struggles, nor is it a mere list of recommendations. Rather, this is a declaration of an urgent national mission: to provide
equity and
excellence in education in
American public schools once and for all. This collective wisdom is a historic
blueprint for making the dream of equity, and a world-class education, for each and every American child a reality.
[7]
The struggle for equality of access to formal education and equality of excellent educational outcomes is part of the history of education in this country and is tied up with the
economic,
political,
social history of the peoples who are part of it. From the beginning of this nation, there were many barriers to the
schooling and education of girls and racial, national origin, and language groups not from the dominant culture. Approaches and resources for achieving equality and equity in the public schooling of girls and
ethnic,
racial, and
language minority groups are still evolving.
[8]
Racial inequalities in the
UK educational system have persisted for too long. Far too many ethnic minority
pupils, such as Black pupils,
Travellers of
Irish heritage pupils,
Gypsy/
Roma pupils, pupils of Mixed White and Black
heritage,
Bangladeshi and
Pakistani pupils, are under-achieving in our schools. The issue of under-achievement and those related to it must be addressed. It is vital to ensure all children are able to learn, achieve, progress and make the transition to further education, higher education or the
labour market.
[9]
Globalization of the economy, increasingly diverse and interconnected populations, and rapid technological change are posing new and demanding challenges to individuals and societies alike. School systems are rethinking the knowledge and skills students will need for success and the educational strategies and systems required for all children to achieve them. Within the
Asia-Pacific region, for example,
Korea,
Shanghai-
China, and
Japan are examples of Asian education systems that have climbed the ladder to the top in both quality and equity indicators.
[10]
A major task of
South Africa’s new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. During the apartheid era, which began when the National
Party won control of
Parliament in 1948 and ended with a negotiated
settlement more than four decades later, the provision of education was racially unequal by design. Resources were lavished on schools serving white students while schools serving the black majority were systematically deprived of qualified
teachers, physical
resources and teaching
aids such as
textbook and
stationary. The rationale for such inequity was a matter of public record.
[11]
Higher education plays a vital role in preparing students for the
employment market and active
citizenship both nationally and internationally. By embedding race equality in teaching and learning,
institutions can ensure that they acknowledge the experiences and values of all students, including minority ethnic and international students. Universities
Scotland first published the Race Equality
Toolkit:
Learning and
Teaching in 2006 in response to strong demand from the universities in Scotland for guidance on meeting their statutory obligations.
[12]
Providing
opportunities for students to consider racial equality as well as matters of
racism as part of their study will help them to develop their confidence to engage with these
concepts as part of their future practice, thinking and skills for life.
Race,
social class, and
gender as issues related to schooling have received major attention from
educators and social
scientists over the last two decades.
The local authorities in
England gave a survey report Race equality in education in November 2005.
[13] This report is based on visits by Her Majesty.s Inspectors (HMIs) and additional inspectors to 12 LEAs and 50
schools in England between summer term 2003 to spring term 2005. This report illustrates good practice on race equality in education in a sample of schools and local education
authorities (LEAs) surveyed between the summer of 2003 and the spring of 2005. The survey focused on schools and LEAs that were involved effectively in race
equality in education. Four areas were examined by inspectors: improving
standards and
achievement amongst groups of
pupils, with reference to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA); the incorporation of race equality concepts into the
curriculum in schools; the
handling and
reporting of race-related
incidents in schools; the work of schools and LEAs in improving
links with local minority ethnic
communities.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (
ATL) (As the leading education union, ATL promotes and protects the interests of its members –
teachers,
lecturers, support
staff and other education
professionals) introduced a practical resource for the school
workforce Race equality and education in the UK educational system. This resource on race equality issues is written by
Robin Richardson (who is co-director of the Insted consultancy, based in
London. Previously, he was director of the
Runnymede Trust, and prior to this he was the chief inspector for education in
Brent). This publication sets out to examine the
racial,
religious or
cultural terminology regularly used in today’s society, in an attempt to combat
prejudice based on
colour,
appearance,
religion or
culture.
[14]
At this decisive moment, the Commission on Equity and Excellence in Education issues this seminal report. It is not a
restatement of public education’s struggles, nor is it a mere list of
recommendations. Rather, this is a
declaration of an urgent national mission: to provide equity and excellence in education in
American
public schools once and for all. This collective wisdom is a historic
blueprint for making the dream of equity, and a world-class education, for each and every American child a reality.
[15]Carol D. Lee described the rationale for a special theme issue, “Reconceptualizing Race and Ethnicity in Educational Research.” The rationale includes the historical and contemporary ways that cultural differences have been positioned in educational research and the need for more nuanced and complex analyses of ethnicity and race.
[16]
A major task of
South Africa’s new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. This paper evaluates progress towards this goal using three distinct concepts: equal
treatment, equal educational
opportunity, and educational adequacy. The authors find that the country has succeeded in establishing racial equity defined as equal treatment, primarily through race-blind policies for allocating state funds for schools. Progress measured by the other two
criteria, however, has been constrained by the legacy of apartheid, including poor
facilities and lack of human capacity in schools serving black students, and by policies such as school fees.
[17]
Race,
social class, and
gender tend to be treated as separate issues in education
literature. We review a sample of education literature from four
journals, spanning ten years, to determine the extent to which these status groups were integrated. We found little integration. We then provide an example from research on
cooperative
learning to illustrate how attention to only one status group oversimplifies the
analysis of student
behavior in school. From
findings of studies integrating race and
class, and
race and
gender, we argue that attending only to race, in this example, oversimplifies behavior analysis and may contribute to perpetuation of gender and class
biases. To determine to what extent race, social class, and gender are integrated in the education literature, we examined a sample of literature published over a ten-year period and thirty
articles focused primarily on race, or on school issues related directly to race, such as
desegregation.
[18]
The report is by the
OECD Education Directorate with support from the
Asia Society as a background report for the first
Asia Society Global Cities Network Symposium,
Hong Kong, May 10-12, 2012. Asia Society is grateful for OECD’s leadership in international
benchmarking and for our ongoing partnership. Asia Society organized the Global Cities Education Network, a network of
urban school systems in
North America and
Asia to focus on
challenges and
opportunities for improvement common to them, and to virtually all city education systems. This report presents the key
recommendations of the OECD publication Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools (2012a), which maps out
policy levers that can help build high quality and equitable education systems, with a particular focus on
North American and
Asia-Pacific countries.
[19]
The
Center for the
Study of Race and Equity in Education unites
University of Pennsylvania
scholars who do research on
race,
racism, racial
climates, and important topics pertaining to equity in education. Center
staff and
affiliates collaborate on funded research projects, environmental
assessment activities, and the production of research reports. Principally, the Center aims to publish
cutting-edge implications for education policy and practice, with an explicit focus on improving equity in
schools,
colleges and
universities, and social contexts that influence educational outcomes.
[20]
Equity in Elementary and Secondary Education: Race, Gender, and National Origin Issues
This site is composed of article reviews and final papers from students enrolled in an
courses at the
University of Michigan School of Education focusing on equity and social
justice issues in education starting the Fall of 2007. What follows is a work in progress, started by members of a class entitled "Equity in K-12
Public Education" held the Fall of 2007 and "Equity and
Social Justice in Education: Race, Gender, National Origin, and Language Minority Issues in Schools" the Fall of 2008 at the University of Michigan School of Education. You will find here
timelines, reviews of
articles on selected
issues, and additional
resources.
[21]
Asia Society is the leading educational
organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening
partnerships among peoples,
leaders and
institutions of Asia and the
United States in a global context. Across the fields of
arts,
business,
culture,
education, and
policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future. The highest performing education systems are those that combine quality with equity. Equity in education means that personal or social
circumstances such as
gender,
ethnic origin or family
background, are not obstacles to achieving educational
potential (definition of
fairness) and that all individuals reach at least a basic minimum level of
skills (definition of
inclusion). In these education systems, the vast majority of students have the opportunity to attain high-level skills, regardless of their own personal and socio-economic circumstances.
[22]
REL
Northwest is part of the Regional Educational
Laboratory (REL) Program funded by the U.S.
Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Education Northwest works to transform
teaching and
learning by providing resources that help
schools,
districts, and
communities across the country find comprehensive, research-based
solutions to the challenges they face.
[23]
The Intercultural
Development
Research
Association (IDRA) is an independent, non-profit
organization that is dedicated to assuring educational
opportunity for every child. The South Central Collaborative for
Equity helps schools become more racially equitable, ensure equal opportunity for academic
achievement, provide fair
discipline, decrease
conflict, and engage
parents and community
members.
[24]
The Board of Education for
Portland
Public Schools (PPS) is committed to the success of every student in each of our schools. The
mission of Portland Public Schools is that by the end of
elementary,
middle, and
high school, every student by name will meet or exceed academic
standards and will be fully prepared to make productive life
decisions. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve, and it is the
responsibility of our school
district to give each student the opportunity and support to meet his or her highest
potential.
[25]
Schools and
teachers play a valuable role in promoting good
race relations between people of different racial
groups, eliminating unlawful racial
discrimination and promoting equality of outcomes between these groups, but they need
support in order to continue to do so.
Inclusion of race equality concepts in
lessons should be seen as a normal part of effective
teaching and
learning; local resources in lessons involving race equality, such as work by local
black and
minority ethnic
writers, and in the history of local industrialization, should be used to stimulate pupils’
interest and learning.
From Race equality in education
[26]
One of the
quotations, ‘there is nothing more important than closing the
gap between national
averages and the educational attainments of
black kids,
Muslim kids,
Travellers and
Gypsies, and most
refugee kids.’ But the significance of closing the achievement gap is manifold; it is fundamental to building a sense of
belonging and to improving a sense of
safety amongst all pupils. All of which are essential to pursuing race equality in schools. From Race equality and education
[27]
All
bullying is wrong and causes recipients great
distress. Teachers should be alert to
potential incidences of bullying and intervene when they become aware of it. There should be a
framework within which all members of
staff should operate in their response to such incidences. It is not a matter for an
individual to deal with on their own. Whilst there are several similarities between racist bullying and other forms of bullying, there are significant differences. It is essential that teachers should be aware of these. Helping
children and
young people to understand this, and to act against unjustifiable inequalities, is one of the most important
challenges facing teachers. ATL believes that this
publication will help enable teachers to fulfil this role and help schools meet their legal
obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. From Race equality and education
[28]
One of the most efficient educational
strategies for
governments is to invest early and all the way up to upper
secondary. Governments can prevent school failure and reduce dropout using two parallel approaches: eliminating education
policies and
practices that hinder equity; and targeting low performing disadvantaged schools. But education policies need to be aligned with other government policies, such as
housing or
welfare, to ensure student success. At this initial educational
stage, direct public funding of services is associated with more effective governmental
monitoring of early
childhood services, advantages of scale, better quality across the country, more effective training for educators and a higher degree of equity in access.
[29]
Each and every one of us has a personal
responsibility to confront these issues and to contribute to a change in societal perceptions and views. Whilst no one individual can act alone, changes in society can be achieved if we all work together.
Discrimination is not limited to
skin colour, however. The
experiences,
expectations and
opportunities open to an individual can be as much dependent on their
gender,
age,
sexual orientation,
disability, or the
national,
cultural and
religious traditions into which they were born. The task is not easy. It can be frequently stressful as it involves confronting and challenging others – children, young people, their
parents, and one’s
colleagues. Further, it also involves confronting and challenging oneself.
[30]
Universities Scotland first published the Race Equality Toolkit: Learning and Teaching in 2006 in response to strong demand from the universities in Scotland for guidance on meeting their statutory obligations in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. This resource is designed to assist academic staff, particularly those less familiar with race equality issues, to embed issues of race equality and of fostering good relations as part of learning and teaching and curriculum design. It does not provide a blueprint for how race equality should be addressed in teaching and learning but it encourages the academic staff to self-evaluate, and to review the curriculum and their teaching and assessment methods, in order to create as inclusive a learning environment as possible. The Toolkit, therefore, encourages the institutions to develop the corporate strategies necessary to support individual lecturers and departments in mainstreaming race equality issues. [31]
Education Equity
Education is a basic human right. The
UN, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (
UNESCO), the European Union (
EU) and many other parties subscribe to this notion.
[1]
Educational equity, or equity in education, is the study and achievement of
fairness in education. The study of educational equity is often linked with the study of
excellence and
equity.
[2]
Beyond equal educational
opportunity, educational
equity is based on the principles of
fairness and
justice in allocating
resources,
opportunities,
treatment, and
success for every student. Educational equity programs promote the real
possibility of equality of educational results for each student and between diverse groups of students.
[3]
From a scientific point of view, the human species is a single
race. It is therefore
misleading to use terms such as races and racial groups. Nevertheless, the term racial group is enshrined in legislation, and phrases such as race equality and
race relations are in widespread official use.
[4]
Race Equity in education means the
assignment of
students to
public schools and within schools without regard to their
race. This includes providing students with a full
opportunity for
participation in all educational
programs regardless of their race.
[5]
Educational equity has two interrelated dimensions. One is the issue of
fairness, in that achievement ought to be based upon ability and application, and not on factors such as
gender,
socio-economic status or
ethnicity. The second is that all individuals have a right to basic functioning literacy and numeracy.
The numbers correspond to the avergae difference of points in the results of the
PISA test of a student from a high
socio-economic level and a student from a low
socio-economic level in their respective country. A higher number represents a more unequal education system whilst a smaller number indicates a more equal education system.
[6]
The Commission on Equity and Excellence in Education issues a seminal report in 2013. It is not a restatement of public education's struggles, nor is it a mere list of recommendations. Rather, this is a declaration of an urgent national mission: to provide
equity and
excellence in education in
American public schools once and for all. This collective wisdom is a historic
blueprint for making the dream of equity, and a world-class education, for each and every American child a reality.
[7]
The struggle for equality of access to formal education and equality of excellent educational outcomes is part of the history of education in this country and is tied up with the
economic,
political,
social history of the peoples who are part of it. From the beginning of this nation, there were many barriers to the
schooling and education of girls and racial, national origin, and language groups not from the dominant culture. Approaches and resources for achieving equality and equity in the public schooling of girls and
ethnic,
racial, and
language minority groups are still evolving.
[8]
Racial inequalities in the
UK educational system have persisted for too long. Far too many ethnic minority
pupils, such as Black pupils,
Travellers of
Irish heritage pupils,
Gypsy/
Roma pupils, pupils of Mixed White and Black
heritage,
Bangladeshi and
Pakistani pupils, are under-achieving in our schools. The issue of under-achievement and those related to it must be addressed. It is vital to ensure all children are able to learn, achieve, progress and make the transition to further education, higher education or the
labour market.
[9]
Globalization of the economy, increasingly diverse and interconnected populations, and rapid technological change are posing new and demanding challenges to individuals and societies alike. School systems are rethinking the knowledge and skills students will need for success and the educational strategies and systems required for all children to achieve them. Within the
Asia-Pacific region, for example,
Korea,
Shanghai-
China, and
Japan are examples of Asian education systems that have climbed the ladder to the top in both quality and equity indicators.
[10]
A major task of
South Africa’s new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. During the apartheid era, which began when the National
Party won control of
Parliament in 1948 and ended with a negotiated
settlement more than four decades later, the provision of education was racially unequal by design. Resources were lavished on schools serving white students while schools serving the black majority were systematically deprived of qualified
teachers, physical
resources and teaching
aids such as
textbook and
stationary. The rationale for such inequity was a matter of public record.
[11]
Higher education plays a vital role in preparing students for the
employment market and active
citizenship both nationally and internationally. By embedding race equality in teaching and learning,
institutions can ensure that they acknowledge the experiences and values of all students, including minority ethnic and international students. Universities
Scotland first published the Race Equality
Toolkit:
Learning and
Teaching in 2006 in response to strong demand from the universities in Scotland for guidance on meeting their statutory obligations.
[12]
Providing
opportunities for students to consider racial equality as well as matters of
racism as part of their study will help them to develop their confidence to engage with these
concepts as part of their future practice, thinking and skills for life.
Race,
social class, and
gender as issues related to schooling have received major attention from
educators and social
scientists over the last two decades.
The local authorities in
England gave a survey report Race equality in education in November 2005.
[13] This report is based on visits by Her Majesty.s Inspectors (HMIs) and additional inspectors to 12 LEAs and 50
schools in England between summer term 2003 to spring term 2005. This report illustrates good practice on race equality in education in a sample of schools and local education
authorities (LEAs) surveyed between the summer of 2003 and the spring of 2005. The survey focused on schools and LEAs that were involved effectively in race
equality in education. Four areas were examined by inspectors: improving
standards and
achievement amongst groups of
pupils, with reference to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA); the incorporation of race equality concepts into the
curriculum in schools; the
handling and
reporting of race-related
incidents in schools; the work of schools and LEAs in improving
links with local minority ethnic
communities.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (
ATL) (As the leading education union, ATL promotes and protects the interests of its members –
teachers,
lecturers, support
staff and other education
professionals) introduced a practical resource for the school
workforce Race equality and education in the UK educational system. This resource on race equality issues is written by
Robin Richardson (who is co-director of the Insted consultancy, based in
London. Previously, he was director of the
Runnymede Trust, and prior to this he was the chief inspector for education in
Brent). This publication sets out to examine the
racial,
religious or
cultural terminology regularly used in today’s society, in an attempt to combat
prejudice based on
colour,
appearance,
religion or
culture.
[14]
At this decisive moment, the Commission on Equity and Excellence in Education issues this seminal report. It is not a
restatement of public education’s struggles, nor is it a mere list of
recommendations. Rather, this is a
declaration of an urgent national mission: to provide equity and excellence in education in
American
public schools once and for all. This collective wisdom is a historic
blueprint for making the dream of equity, and a world-class education, for each and every American child a reality.
[15]Carol D. Lee described the rationale for a special theme issue, “Reconceptualizing Race and Ethnicity in Educational Research.” The rationale includes the historical and contemporary ways that cultural differences have been positioned in educational research and the need for more nuanced and complex analyses of ethnicity and race.
[16]
A major task of
South Africa’s new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. This paper evaluates progress towards this goal using three distinct concepts: equal
treatment, equal educational
opportunity, and educational adequacy. The authors find that the country has succeeded in establishing racial equity defined as equal treatment, primarily through race-blind policies for allocating state funds for schools. Progress measured by the other two
criteria, however, has been constrained by the legacy of apartheid, including poor
facilities and lack of human capacity in schools serving black students, and by policies such as school fees.
[17]
Race,
social class, and
gender tend to be treated as separate issues in education
literature. We review a sample of education literature from four
journals, spanning ten years, to determine the extent to which these status groups were integrated. We found little integration. We then provide an example from research on
cooperative
learning to illustrate how attention to only one status group oversimplifies the
analysis of student
behavior in school. From
findings of studies integrating race and
class, and
race and
gender, we argue that attending only to race, in this example, oversimplifies behavior analysis and may contribute to perpetuation of gender and class
biases. To determine to what extent race, social class, and gender are integrated in the education literature, we examined a sample of literature published over a ten-year period and thirty
articles focused primarily on race, or on school issues related directly to race, such as
desegregation.
[18]
The report is by the
OECD Education Directorate with support from the
Asia Society as a background report for the first
Asia Society Global Cities Network Symposium,
Hong Kong, May 10-12, 2012. Asia Society is grateful for OECD’s leadership in international
benchmarking and for our ongoing partnership. Asia Society organized the Global Cities Education Network, a network of
urban school systems in
North America and
Asia to focus on
challenges and
opportunities for improvement common to them, and to virtually all city education systems. This report presents the key
recommendations of the OECD publication Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools (2012a), which maps out
policy levers that can help build high quality and equitable education systems, with a particular focus on
North American and
Asia-Pacific countries.
[19]
The
Center for the
Study of Race and Equity in Education unites
University of Pennsylvania
scholars who do research on
race,
racism, racial
climates, and important topics pertaining to equity in education. Center
staff and
affiliates collaborate on funded research projects, environmental
assessment activities, and the production of research reports. Principally, the Center aims to publish
cutting-edge implications for education policy and practice, with an explicit focus on improving equity in
schools,
colleges and
universities, and social contexts that influence educational outcomes.
[20]
Equity in Elementary and Secondary Education: Race, Gender, and National Origin Issues
This site is composed of article reviews and final papers from students enrolled in an
courses at the
University of Michigan School of Education focusing on equity and social
justice issues in education starting the Fall of 2007. What follows is a work in progress, started by members of a class entitled "Equity in K-12
Public Education" held the Fall of 2007 and "Equity and
Social Justice in Education: Race, Gender, National Origin, and Language Minority Issues in Schools" the Fall of 2008 at the University of Michigan School of Education. You will find here
timelines, reviews of
articles on selected
issues, and additional
resources.
[21]
Asia Society is the leading educational
organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening
partnerships among peoples,
leaders and
institutions of Asia and the
United States in a global context. Across the fields of
arts,
business,
culture,
education, and
policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future. The highest performing education systems are those that combine quality with equity. Equity in education means that personal or social
circumstances such as
gender,
ethnic origin or family
background, are not obstacles to achieving educational
potential (definition of
fairness) and that all individuals reach at least a basic minimum level of
skills (definition of
inclusion). In these education systems, the vast majority of students have the opportunity to attain high-level skills, regardless of their own personal and socio-economic circumstances.
[22]
REL
Northwest is part of the Regional Educational
Laboratory (REL) Program funded by the U.S.
Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Education Northwest works to transform
teaching and
learning by providing resources that help
schools,
districts, and
communities across the country find comprehensive, research-based
solutions to the challenges they face.
[23]
The Intercultural
Development
Research
Association (IDRA) is an independent, non-profit
organization that is dedicated to assuring educational
opportunity for every child. The South Central Collaborative for
Equity helps schools become more racially equitable, ensure equal opportunity for academic
achievement, provide fair
discipline, decrease
conflict, and engage
parents and community
members.
[24]
The Board of Education for
Portland
Public Schools (PPS) is committed to the success of every student in each of our schools. The
mission of Portland Public Schools is that by the end of
elementary,
middle, and
high school, every student by name will meet or exceed academic
standards and will be fully prepared to make productive life
decisions. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve, and it is the
responsibility of our school
district to give each student the opportunity and support to meet his or her highest
potential.
[25]
Schools and
teachers play a valuable role in promoting good
race relations between people of different racial
groups, eliminating unlawful racial
discrimination and promoting equality of outcomes between these groups, but they need
support in order to continue to do so.
Inclusion of race equality concepts in
lessons should be seen as a normal part of effective
teaching and
learning; local resources in lessons involving race equality, such as work by local
black and
minority ethnic
writers, and in the history of local industrialization, should be used to stimulate pupils’
interest and learning.
From Race equality in education
[26]
One of the
quotations, ‘there is nothing more important than closing the
gap between national
averages and the educational attainments of
black kids,
Muslim kids,
Travellers and
Gypsies, and most
refugee kids.’ But the significance of closing the achievement gap is manifold; it is fundamental to building a sense of
belonging and to improving a sense of
safety amongst all pupils. All of which are essential to pursuing race equality in schools. From Race equality and education
[27]
All
bullying is wrong and causes recipients great
distress. Teachers should be alert to
potential incidences of bullying and intervene when they become aware of it. There should be a
framework within which all members of
staff should operate in their response to such incidences. It is not a matter for an
individual to deal with on their own. Whilst there are several similarities between racist bullying and other forms of bullying, there are significant differences. It is essential that teachers should be aware of these. Helping
children and
young people to understand this, and to act against unjustifiable inequalities, is one of the most important
challenges facing teachers. ATL believes that this
publication will help enable teachers to fulfil this role and help schools meet their legal
obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. From Race equality and education
[28]
One of the most efficient educational
strategies for
governments is to invest early and all the way up to upper
secondary. Governments can prevent school failure and reduce dropout using two parallel approaches: eliminating education
policies and
practices that hinder equity; and targeting low performing disadvantaged schools. But education policies need to be aligned with other government policies, such as
housing or
welfare, to ensure student success. At this initial educational
stage, direct public funding of services is associated with more effective governmental
monitoring of early
childhood services, advantages of scale, better quality across the country, more effective training for educators and a higher degree of equity in access.
[29]
Each and every one of us has a personal
responsibility to confront these issues and to contribute to a change in societal perceptions and views. Whilst no one individual can act alone, changes in society can be achieved if we all work together.
Discrimination is not limited to
skin colour, however. The
experiences,
expectations and
opportunities open to an individual can be as much dependent on their
gender,
age,
sexual orientation,
disability, or the
national,
cultural and
religious traditions into which they were born. The task is not easy. It can be frequently stressful as it involves confronting and challenging others – children, young people, their
parents, and one’s
colleagues. Further, it also involves confronting and challenging oneself.
[30]
Universities Scotland first published the Race Equality Toolkit: Learning and Teaching in 2006 in response to strong demand from the universities in Scotland for guidance on meeting their statutory obligations in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. This resource is designed to assist academic staff, particularly those less familiar with race equality issues, to embed issues of race equality and of fostering good relations as part of learning and teaching and curriculum design. It does not provide a blueprint for how race equality should be addressed in teaching and learning but it encourages the academic staff to self-evaluate, and to review the curriculum and their teaching and assessment methods, in order to create as inclusive a learning environment as possible. The Toolkit, therefore, encourages the institutions to develop the corporate strategies necessary to support individual lecturers and departments in mainstreaming race equality issues. [31]