Discuss the view that equality of educational opportunity is a social

myth
Presented by: Witness & Creselda
Introduction

 Children’s potential knows no race, income, ethnicity, or gender. It is present across all
communities and all lines of identity. Ideally, this potential is nurtured in school, where
passionate educators can empower their students to learn, lead, and follow their passions
into a happy and successful adulthood. But in our country, the circumstances children are
born into—such as their parents’ race and how much money they make—too often predict
the educational opportunities they will have before even stepping foot in a classroom.
 Educational inequity is a profoundly complex issue.
 When we say “equitable,” we do not mean that all students reach the same mediocre level of learning. Educational
equity focuses on whether all students—regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language, ability, sexual orientation,
family background, family income, or other characteristics—attain rigorous learning outcomes that will prepare them
for the fast-changing information- and technology-based world of the future. Resource equity helps us understand why
some students or schools may not be succeeding, by looking at whether all students have an equitable student
experience.
Myth 1: Educational Resources are Equally
Distributed Across all Schools.
 educational resources include the allocation of school funding, teachers, supplies,
facilities, and more.
 They also include less quantifiable but equally important resources, including exposure to
rigorous curriculum that tests grade level mastery, culturally relevant pedagogy,
opportunity for family involvement, and teachers and school leaders who hold high
expectations and learning standards for all of their students.
 However, in our current education system, resources are not equitably distributed among
students, schools, and communities, with schools inlow-income commnities receiving far
less.
Cont’d

 These resources are more than just items on a school budget, they are necessary for
ensuring that all children are able to achieve strong academic outcomes, regardless of race
or income.
 Resource allocation determines the level of support students are able to access during their
education. Without these supports, students may not be given what they need to strive in
schools, whether it’s accommodations for learning disabilities, counseling for trauma, or a
balanced breakfast for those without access to healthy, fresh foods at home.
 They begin to fall behind. And aas the academic disparities between them and their more
affluent peers grow, it becomes increasingly difficult for these students reach the height of
their potential.