Understanding Equity vs. Equality in Education: Key Differences

There has been a lot of debate regarding equity vs equality in education. However, the truth is that neither concept should be pitted against the other. School systems need educational equality and educational equity to provide learners with a quality education.

At the same time, it's important to realize that there are important differences between these two concepts. Understanding the key differences between equity and equality is vital for anyone who wants to learn how to help students of all ages and walks of life reach their full potential.

What Does Educational Equality Mean?

Equality refers to sameness. Put simply, it means giving every child the same opportunities for success. It's the reason why the Supreme Court made public school segregation illegal in 1954.

Today, in theory, every child has the same opportunities to succeed. Schools today can't discriminate on the basis of race or gender. Schools must allot spots on athletic teams based on the percentage of each gender in the school. Each young person has equal access to SAT, ACT, and AP testing and can apply to the colleges and universities of their choice. School curriculum and a state's educational requirements are based on geographic location, not skin color. School districts aren't allowed to discriminate against candidates for teaching positions.

However, as great as educational equality is, it doesn't provide the same outcome for each student. Statistics clearly show that certain groups of learners tend to outperform others even though they all use the same curriculum, or in some cases even have the same resources at school. Current systems offer uneven access to future opportunities—emphasizing the importance of equity-focused practices to ensure all students thrive.

Consider the following statistics:

• About 50% of white students have access to a positive school climate. Only 34% of Black students and 39% of Native American students can say the same thing.
• About 53% of white students study in a school with a low suspension rate, but only 33% of Black students do.
• Nearly 70% of children in low-poverty schools are white, while 11% are Hispanic and 5% are African-American. In high-poverty schools, white children make up only 15% of the school population. Nearly half are Hispanic and 28% are African-American. High-poverty schools are more likely to have a high suspension rate, chronic absenteeism rate and less access to dual enrollment/AP classes, advanced math classes, physics classes, and chemistry classes than school districts in low-poverty areas.
• About 57% of schools in high-poverty areas say they feel understaffed, compared to 42% of schools in low poverty areas.
• The children of the wealthiest 1% of Americans are 13 times more likely to score 1300 or higher on the SAT or ACT test than children from low income families.

What is Education Equity?

Equity recognizes that each child faces specific challenges and may need specialized forms of assistance based on these challenges. It's the principle that led to the passing of Section 504, IDEA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under these laws, public education facilities are required to provide accommodations to help disabled students receive a quality education. Students who qualify for help under these laws have a 504 or IEP plan created to ensure they receive the accommodations and special assistance they need. Additionally, this assistance must be provided in the least restrictive manner possible so disabled children don't feel they are stigmatized based on physical, mental, or academic disabilities.

While helping disabled students is a good start, many experts recognize that there are other disadvantaged students who also need special forms of assistance. English language learners, for instance, need additional classes or translated materials. Students who struggle to understand math or science may need additional tutoring; affluent parents may be able to provide this with ease but parents from a disadvantaged socioeconomic status cannot.

Creating equitable learning environments also means providing accurate representation of children from different circumstances, backgrounds, and cultures. There is a direct correlation between improved academic success and seeing oneself reflected in the school curriculum. Unfortunately, school curriculum characters are still predominately male and white. Furthermore, it's not uncommon for minority characters to be portrayed in a stereotypical or even negative light.

Put simply, education equity isn't about giving each child the same resources and the same opportunities to succeed. It's also not about giving school districts the same funding, although doing so would be a good idea. Rather, educational equity is about seeing what each child or group of children needs and meeting these needs. If children from a certain socioeconomic status need additional tutoring, they should be able to receive it even if their parents can't afford to pay for it. If a segment of the student population isn't represented in the school's educational resources, measures should be taken to remedy this. Multilingual learners should be provided with materials in their language and/or English language classes so they can excel academically.

How Can Schools Promote Educational Equity?

District administrators, school principals, and teachers can do several things to promote equitable learning environments. Actions include:

• Making each student feel safe and accepted in class.
• Allow each student time and space to share their background and experiences. This shows learners that each student's story is important. It promotes self-esteem and acceptance, and builds a sense of community.
• Add diversified educational resources to the school curriculum. Reading diverse books, inviting diverse community members as guest speakers, and keeping diversity in mind when planning school outings shows students that all perspectives are important.
• Find out why students are having learning difficulties. Perhaps English language learners' parents have a hard time understanding the child's homework and so can't provide academic assistance at home. Some students may benefit from additional tutoring or different instructional strategies to help them grasp complex concepts. Some children may need extra time to complete homework assignments and schools may want to consider lowering a grade for late assignments rather than giving an automatic zero.
• Avoid making participation in elective classes contingent on students earning a certain grade-point average. Elective classes build character and self-esteem, help children enjoy learning, and enable them to discover their talents and strong points. Allowing all children to participate in the electives of their choice helps disadvantaged students grow holistically and even boosts academic performance.

How Proximity Learning Promotes Educational Equity and Equality

Proximity Learning is an industry leader in the virtual education field. Our teachers are not only certified and experienced but also come from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. We provide a quality education to every single school district that signs up for our services, ensuring that children who would otherwise lack access to quality instruction receive a top-tier education.

Our services don't just include core classes. We offer electives and services that are often only available at low-poverty educational institutions. These include summer school, tutoring, AP classes and test prep, World Language courses, art, music, drama, dance, PE, and physical education classes. Furthermore, we offer special education classes and SPED case management to help 504 and IEP learners achieve positive outcomes.

All classes are livestreamed. They take place in public school classrooms, so students aren't affected by distractions at home or impeded by a poor internet connection or lack of proper IT equipment. Learning is interactive and includes pop quizzes, games, small group assignments, and audiovisual resources that promote student engagement. We also keep track of student progress so you identify which learners are struggling, find out why they're having a hard time, and take measures to help them reach the same level as their classmates.

There is a lot that needs to be done to achieve educational equity in every school in the United States, but we can make progress working together to help learners in your district. Contact us for more information or to start our onboarding process.

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