quality and equity in education
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Quality and Equity in EducationMarch 6, 2008
john a. powellWilliams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law & Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
Education: Reframing the Issues
Education and democratic purpose Importance of institutional arrangements Education reform for the benefit of ALL
students, not just those historically disadvantaged
What is true integration?
Goals of Education
What are our educational goals? The mission statement for the US Department of
Education includes ensuring equal access to education and promoting educational excellence throughout the nation.
The U.S. Supreme Court has identified the objectives of public education as “the inculcation of fundamental values necessary for the maintenance of a
democratic political system.”
What are our requirements for a legitimate democratic state? All citizens must be members of society Membership must be attainable for all through public
education There must be freedom for individuals to join the
civil discourse Structures and outcomes must be in line with the
collective ethics of the populace. There must be real opportunity for change…
Membership must have meaning!
Membership in a Legitimate Democratic State
Importance of institutional arrangements…
Lower EducationalOutcomes for Urban
School Districts
Increased Flightof Affluent
Families fromUrban Areas
Neighborhood (Housing)
Segregation
SchoolSegregation(Economic)
Challenges for Public Education
Economic segregation Racial segregation Achievement gap Discipline rates Funding disparities Graduation rates
Challenge: Correlation of Race and School Poverty (Ohio example)
Poverty and academic performance (Ohio example, 2003-2004)
% of StudentsProficient or ExceedingStandards
Non-HighPovertySchools
HighPovertySchools
Reading 3rd Grade 84.7% 62.7%Read 4th Grade 83.2% 55.6%Reading 5th Grade 84.1% 54.0%Reading 6th Grade 78.1% 51.6%Reading 8th Grade 83.8% 55.0%
% of StudentsProficient or ExceedingStandards
Non-HighPovertySchools
HighPovertySchools
Math 3rd Grade 78.4% 46.3%Math 4th Grade 72.8% 46.8%Math 6th Grade 71.1% 40.1%Math 7th Grade 66.5% 26.9%Math 8th Grade 68.3% 26.0%
School Segregation Today: Segregation and Student Poverty
School Segregation and Students Eligible for Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch
88.581.2 81.2
58.4
48.3 46.1
37.6
65.1% 63.8%
80.1%
46.3% 46.6%
34.7% 35.3%
0.0
10.0
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30.0
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70.0%
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Per
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Eli
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Segregation:DissimilarityScore
Free andReduced Lunch (%) 99
School Segregation Today: Segregation and Student Performance
School Segregation and Student Performance 2003
83.981.2
70.7
58.4
37.6
14.0%
10.0%
15.0%
22.0%
32.0%
0.0
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Chicago Cleveland Boston San Diego Charlotte
Dis
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ilar
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0.0%
5.0%
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25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
Per
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Segregation:DissimilarityScore
Percent Exceeding or Excelling at Reading (4th)
Integration vs. Desegregation
“The word segregation represents a system that is prohibitive; it denies the Negro equal access to schools, parks, restaurants, libraries and the like. Desegregation is eliminative and negative...”
“Integration is creative, and is therefore more profound and far-reaching than desegregation. Integration is the positive acceptance of desegregation...”
“Integration is genuine intergroup, interpersonal doing. Desegregation then, rightly, is only a short-range goal. Integration is the ultimate goal of our national community.”
Source: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “The Ethical Demands of Integration.” December 27, 1962.
Integration into Opportunity
Segregation is more than just the physical isolation of people
Segregation is isolation from opportunity or opportunity structures
Integration is not just about bringing in more people.
Integration into opportunity
“Helps students avoid or overcome stereotypes by providing a range of experiences and viewpoints…;
Promotes cross-cultural understanding and helps students develop interpersonal skills for a multiracial world;
Prepares students for a racially diverse workplace; Trains and educates a diverse group of leaders; Contributes to better decision making on issues affecting
our multicultural society; Fosters diversity among civic and business leaders.”
The Benefits of Racial Diversity in Education
Source: “Preserving Diversity in Higher Education: A Manual on Admissions Policies and Procedures After the University of Michigan Decisions.” Compiled by the firms of Bingham McCutcheon, Morrison & Foerster, and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe. Equal Justice Society, 2004. <www.equaljusticesociety.org/compliancemanual>
True Integration Creative and respective of inter-group relations based on
mutuality, equality and fairness Transformative rather than assimilative Transforms and enriches the mainstream
(cf. desegregation, at best, attempts to assimilate “minorities” into the mainstream)
Appendix:Parents Involved…the decision Five different opinions Majority of Court recognized a compelling
government interest in remedying racial isolation, regardless of its cause.
Educational policymakers may use race-conscious policies. They may not classify people on the basis of race, except as a last resort.
Effects on school districts and our work