Equity vs Equality

In discussing equity the question of "fairness" often comes up. Can the COP address how we can ensure that equity isn’t just for one group or to fulfill a specific agenda?

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Often we hear about what is/is not fair. I think it's important to keep in mind that equitable isn't always equal, which means it isn't going to always be the same, and to some that isn't fair (e.g. "why do they get more time to test than me, that isn't fair!"). In these situations, what's viewed as unfair is what's needed to ensure that "they" have a chance to succeed, and it's not only fair but also necessary.  It reminds me of a graphic I saw a while back  (you can see it HERE). It's a picture of three children each standing on one crate to peek over a fence and see a baseball game, but the smallest can't see the game. In the opposing image there is no crate for the tallest, one crate for the one in the middle, and two crates for smallest and they can all see the game . The caption under the graphic reads "equality is giving people the same thing; equity is fairness in every situation". To be equitable, thus fair, we must assure we are considering the needs of every student, not just some, so they each get what they need. We also have to avoid the "if I can just help this one, I've done my job" trap. Because while we're helping one, we could lose the rest. We have to keep in mind all students are deserving of, and entitled to, an equitable education. 

Hi Sudi and friends, 

I absolutely love the comic you were talking about. It is a great visual to demonstrate the notion of equity. However, there are a few more versions of that same comic. (I hope I link correctly). There is one version where people are tearing down the fence with the caption of Justice. This blog post presents an interesting perspective about this comic that is worth considering. There is another version of the comic where all the children are all standing on the ground and able to see through a chain link fence. This version shows what happens when the cause of the inequity is eliminated.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about these versions. 
Kathy 

 

As part of a Technical Working Group discussion on equity, we had members do a Google Images search of "Equity vs. Equality", and found hundreds of versions of this graphic. I absolutely LOVE that this visual has become part of the national conversation on educational equity, and that people have seen fit to modify it to illustrate different components of the equity discussion (with more inclusive images of the students (race/ethnicity, gender, ability);  students actively reaching for an apple, with appropriate assistance, rather than passively watching a game; the variations Kathy describes on the barriers, and much more). It shows that the originator of the image was truly on to something which resonates with the educational community. 

We have used this very activity as part of Professional Development workshops for educators. We have them break into groups, view the various iterations of the illustrations, and discuss which they feel is the best version for what they want to accomplish in their school. It works very well--and many of the educators have even used the graphic(s) in their own classrooms, or when talking with parents in their communities. 

The previous comment does a great job with this question. In our work, we often share a definition of educational equity as every student getting what they need to be successful. In this, the focus is on getting each student what they need to achieve to have equal outcomes, rather than equal inputs. This can help with the "fairness" question, because it focuses the discussion on the whole purpose of education, that is, student achievement. 

Hi Lakshmi, this is such a great question. I think that equality and equity are often conflated and they can certainly stand to be delineated. Going back to the original post, I think fairness can stand to be unpacked a bit. For example, from where does the presumption of fairness come? How does perceived fairness contrast with identified equity gaps that are being remedied? What does data tell us about where efforts are needed? --There's a lot of unpacking that can take place here around what is fair and for whom.

As to the how we can address we can ensure equity is for one group or to fulfill an agenda -- Equity, as I understand it, is to address the needs of one particular group --the group that experiences the greatest inequities within a given context. This of course changes over time as improvement efforts are made. The way we address it is constant examination of outcomes data disaggregated by various student characteristics and identities and thinking about equity and equitable outcomes in a continuous improvement fashion. This would included the aforementioned outcomes and equity analysis, critical assessment of institutional policies, practices, and processes, and evaluation of improvement efforts.