What can we do to ensure that disparity in life circumstances doesn鈥檛 result in disparity of access to a quality education?
, and for many of them this means their basic needs are not being met. That can have a serious impact on their readiness to learn. And it鈥檚 an issue that is getting increasing attention here in Washington, DC.
起点传媒addresses poverty and equity head-on in our :
Equity is essential to meet America’s promise of equal opportunity for all citizens. Equity serves the common values of fairness, opportunity, and social good. Disparity in Iife circumstances should not result in a disparity of access to a quality education. With fifty-one percent of students attending public schools now eligible for free or reduced lunches, the growing wealth gap affects families across the United States as well as conditions and opportunities for learning.
In the panel discussion 鈥� earlier this week, President Barack Obama emphasized that 鈥渋f we are going to find common ground, we must invest as a society in public schools and universities [as well as] early childhood education, . . . whether rural areas, Appalachia, or the inner city, . . . to access what is needed: mentors, social networks, computers, and textbooks.鈥�
At ASCD鈥檚 recent , a range of panelists offered solutions to address issues of inequity that mirrored those in NCTE鈥檚 policy platform (in italics below):
Fund quality universal early childhood education; access to quality teaching and learning environments; and equitable support for all public schools.
Steve Suitts of the made very clear that if we wait to teach children in kindergarten, then we are too late.聽 鈥淎ll children should have equal worth,鈥� he said, but many low-income children who enter kindergarten are already one to two grades behind.
Phil Sirinides鈥檚 report, 鈥�,鈥� recognizes efforts by states to close the gap by providing access to high-quality early education: 鈥淎t-risk children who participate in high-quality childcare and pre-kindergarten can overcome risk factors, make accelerated progress in development, and enter kindergarten ready to learn.鈥�
Provide for the successful participation of students with the greatest needs, ensuring that Title I funding focuses on districts with the greatest percentage of students who lack economic opportunities, including the delivery of wrap-around services (such as before and after school programs, nutrition and health programs, and so on).
in the Bronx, tackled his students鈥� issues by bringing the community into his school.聽 He relocated a clinic or 鈥渉ospital鈥� to provide for his students鈥� medical needs and created a 鈥渇arm鈥� to grow food so his students could eat. Talk about building capacity!
Each panelist at the ASCD event emphasized that we all have a role to play. Kathleen Budge, a professor at Boise State University who coauthored , issued a call to action for teachers: 鈥淭o tackle poverty, we need to have educators willing to talk about the realities in their classrooms, to act as citizens and do their share to speak and act.鈥�
What would you bring to the conversation?