EDUCATION TRENDS

Understanding Equity in Education

 4 January 2025/ By Zineb DJOUB

Ensuring equity in education can be the catalyst for transforming the entire educational system, providing every student with the opportunity to learn, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, ability, or any other sociocultural factor. But what does equity in education really mean in practice? As educators, without a shared understanding, we can’t create classrooms where all students receive the support they need to reach their full potential.

So, understanding equity in education is the first step toward making meaningful changes that truly benefit all students, especially those who face barriers in education.

What is equity in education?

Equity in education, according to UNESCO (2021), is about ensuring fairness by valuing the education of all learners equally.

Schleicher (2014) further clarifies that equity aims to ensure all students reach a basic level of skills and are not held back by personal or socio-economic circumstances.

But does this mean that equity is the same as equality?

Equality vs. Equity

Ensuring equity is more than simply opening school doors to every child.

Not every child’s socioeconomic background supports their success. Moreover, students have different backgrounds, identities, abilities, and ways of learning.

Treating all students equally does not ensure equality of learning opportunities since some students require more support than others to learn and succeed.

For instance:

• Refugee children may need more nursing care or smaller student-teacher ratios.
• Children from low-income families might require food or dental care to focus on learning.
• Children with autism may thrive in classrooms with limited sensory inputs or one-on-one aides.

 

Even if schools provide equal resources—curricula, student-teacher ratios, and classroom structures—children with diverse needs and circumstances will still struggle to access these learning opportunities equitably.

So, equity is about providing different supports to meet various needs.

It involves allocating resources and opportunities that help each student succeed, based on their unique circumstances. Educators must consider factors like students’ backgrounds, socioeconomic status, learning styles, and intrinsic motivation.

Equity in education is not about giving everyone the same thing, but giving each student what they need to succeed.Christopher Emdin (2020)

 

Why equity in education matters

Research shows that the quality of schooling in a country is a strong predictor of its economic growth (Schleicher, 2018).

When we ensure equity in education, we provide more learning opportunities and support individuals to thrive in a competitive global economy.

But it’s not just about economics. Research shows that validating students’ cultural backgrounds leads to improving their academic performance (Ladson-Billings, 2009).

Paris and Alim (2017) found that culturally sustaining pedagogies—those that celebrate and support linguistic and cultural diversity—can boost student engagement and motivation and support linguistic and cultural diversity.

So, educational equity isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a foundation for students’ social and personal development and economic growth.

Equity as a process

Working toward equity means embracing inclusion—reaching out to all students and meeting their needs through adequate and tailored educational opportunities.

It’s not about treating everyone the same but about giving each student what they need to succeed after high school. This process requires considering the different types of equity such as:

Racial equity

This involves acknowledging the historical and cultural background of students and their individual needs. Schools need to create policies that address disparities in achievement, discipline, and access to advanced courses.

We, educators, can also contribute by incorporating culturally responsive teaching practices to foster an inclusive classroom environment where all racial identities are valued and respected.

Gender equity

Gender equity ensures that all students, regardless of their gender, have access to educational opportunities. This involves schools providing access to resources and a safe learning environment to all gender identities, including those from marginalized groups.

We can ensure gender equity in the classroom by encouraging all students to participate, using gender-neutral language and addressing gender biases among students.

Economic and social equity

To bridge the gap caused by socioeconomic disparities, schools should provide access to funds for knowledge, opportunities, and resources to students from low-income families.

We can also help by being mindful of financial constraints when assigning projects, providing support to students facing financial difficulties, and cultivating an empathetic and nonjudgmental classroom culture.

Equity-mindedness vs. deficit-mindedness

Equity in education is not impossible to achieve. Policies and practices can address school inequities and provide access to and opportunities for success.

Yet, this requires a shift in mindset from deficit-mindedness to equity-mindedness.

To be equity-minded is to be conscious of inequities and how marginalised groups experience different outcomes. It requires understanding that these outcomes exist because of patterns of inequity over time.

In contrast, deficit-mindedness places the blame for students’ struggles on their families, communities, or personal shortcomings. This perspective overlooks the structural and systemic barriers that hinder students’ success and perpetuates inequities rather than addressing them.

So, equity-mindedness is crucial because it pushes us to question and understand why schools are failing to produce success for those students and take personal responsibility to make progress towards equity.

To conclude, equity in education is more than a concept—it’s a collective responsibility and commitment to ensuring that every student has the support they need to thrive.

By understanding what equity truly means and recognizing its value, we can play a transformative role in fostering inclusive classrooms and creating opportunities that empower all students.

References

Emdin, C. (2017).For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy).Beacon Press: USA.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (Eds.). (2017). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World. Teachers College Press.

Schleicher, A. (2014), Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education: Policy Lessons from Around the World, International Summit on the Teaching Profession, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264214033-en

Schleicher, A. (2018). Why equity in education is so elusive in World Class: How to Build a 21st Century School System. OECD Publishing, Paris.

UNESCO (2021). Reaching out to all learners: A resource pack for supporting inclusion and equity in education. Switzerland: IBE.