Focusing on Equity
4 May 2020
The school board should strive for educational equity by putting systems in place to ensure fair access to resources throughout the district. To do this requires the board’s acknowledgement that each child, each community, each school has different, unique needs—some of which may require more resources that others. Above all, I am committed to “equity” over “equality,” and I will advocate for an approach that considers each child’s individual learning needs and resource requirements.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to offering true educational equity. Some students face circumstances (such as homelessness, hunger, health issues) that jeopardize their ability to complete school. Some are challenged by learning-related factors (such as learning differences, test anxiety, behavioral challenges) that could adversely affect their educational attainment.
I don’t like to use the term “at-risk” to categorize a general population of students. That brings the possibility of stigmatizing students by labeling them based on attributes not wholly related to their educational standing, resulting in the possibility of lowered educational standards and even cultural isolation. Instead I favor an approach that allows educators to focus on individual students with demonstrated behaviors or academic records that cause concern. From there, I advocate for a proactive approach to helping those students, as opposed to a reactive approach. That means identifying those students and their specific challenges and offering support and intervention services, as opposed to assigning failing grades or taking other punitive measures.
A shining example of one-on-one, proactive intervention is the Reading Recovery program, aimed at bringing struggling 1st grade readers up to grade-level standard. This intervention has been highly successful in many of our schools and principals have asked to bring it back as an option for students. Reading is the key to knowing anything you want to know, and all MNPS students should have the opportunity to complete 1st grade with the seed for that learning firmly planted and ready to grow.