Equity has been on my mind lately. Two basic definition of equity are: 1. fairness or justice in the way people are treated and 2. freedom from bias. While similar, equity is different than equality. Equality is giving everyone the same thing, while equity is giving everyone what they need.
I’m currently reading "Making Kids Cleverer" by David Didau, which discusses how to help all students increase their knowledge and intelligence, and "Courageous Conversations About Race" by Glenn E. Singleton, which gives strategies for how teachers and administrators can talk about race in hopes that all students will have access to a high-quality education. While Didau focuses on intelligence and Singleton focuses on race, I find the authors’ ideas similar and complimentary. Both authors want all students to have rich, meaningful educational opportunities regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, or advantages.
Additionally, I just participated in a class from IUPUI to help faculty develop quality online curriculum since many of our courses will be online this fall. One of our first assignments was to look at an online equity rubric developed by Peralta Community College District and then think about how to make our online class welcoming for a non “standard” student while considering the kinds of challenges that this student might encounter in an online course.
The Peralta Online Equity Rubric has eight criteria to consider: technology, student resources and support, universal design for learning, diversity and inclusion, images and representation, human bias, content meaning, and connection and belonging. (See https://web.peralta.edu/de/equity-initiative/equity/ for the actual rubric and more explanations.)
I’m already addressing some of these areas. I have students read articles from different perspectives to provide some diversity and I try to meet some of the UDL guidelines by presenting material in both written and spoken formats. Others I need to work on such as helping students make connections between the content we study and their own lives. I can always improve in all of the criteria.
Overall, I need to think about how my students’ situations affect their ability to complete the work in my class and then adjust my teaching to make assignments, materials, and my approach more equitable. For example, if I ask my students to share a video self-introduction, I need to provide detailed instructions for those who may not know how to make a video and another option for students who might not have access to the technology to make a video.
Equity applies to more than just educational experiences. Most of the recent protests have been about equity. Blacks want to be treated justly and without bias. Many laws and policies need to be changed to become more equitable. Additionally, these laws and policies need to be applied fairly. Equity also applies to treatment in the workplace. The recent Supreme Court ruling on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extends discrimination protection to sexual orientation and gender identity, which will hopefully reduce some bias in the workplace.
I’ve also been thinking about an experience I had when I was in high school. I went shopping with several of my girlfriends, but when one of my friends wanted to try on some clothes she couldn’t get through the door that led to the dressing rooms—she used a motorized wheelchair and the doorway wasn’t wide enough for her chair. I don’t remember what she ended up doing, but I do remember feeling upset that she wasn’t able to try on clothes in private. I took it for granted that everyone could get to the dressing rooms since I could.
As we work to reduce bias and increase fairness in any area, we need to learn about other people’s situations. What are their needs? Does their culture value an approach that is different than yours? What materials and support do they have? Just because you have access to and know how to use technology or can get into a dressing room doesn’t mean everyone else can. Let’s make the effort to create more equitable environments in schools, in work places, and in our communities.
Susan Cox is one of The Republic’s community columnists, and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. She is a mother and an adjunct instructor of English at Ivy Tech Community College Columbus and Indiana University Purdue University Columbus. She can be reached at editorial@therepublic.com.
