Episode 85: Unveiling Systemic Inequities in Education — From the School Bus to the Classroom and Beyond

Prepare to be enlightened as this episode confronts the stark disparities plaguing the K-12 educational system, beginning right at the school bus doors of New York City. This journey reveals how the ripples of inequality extend into the classroom, stifling the potential of our youth, especially those in marginalized groups. I'm not just talking about the ride to school; I'm discussing the roadblocks to a child's future and the necessary detours toward equity. Together, we'll understand the critical role of school leaders and communities in valuing education for all, and why meeting the diverse needs of every student isn't just ideal—it's essential.

The conversation takes an inspiring turn as I spotlight the power of restorative approaches and the surge of academic acceleration in Washington State's classrooms. Hear firsthand how home visit programs and culturally responsive teaching are stitching together stronger bonds between teachers and families. And it doesn't stop there—witness the triumph of relentless parent advocacy in the Upper Dublin School District's transformation, from course tracking to professional development aimed at dismantling implicit biases. This dialogue isn't merely informative; it's a call to action for parental engagement to craft a future where every student is equipped with the tools for academic and life success.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:40

Welcome to another episode of K-12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr Kim Fields, former corporate manager turned educational researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the micro discriminations that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids, who were in the public school system, I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their educational progress. If you're looking to find out more about current information and issues in education that could affect you or your children, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K-12 education trends and topics is important to you, so keep listening.

Speaker 1: 1:52

On today's episode, I'll be discussing inequities in schools and how fees and equities are being addressed by school administrators, communities and parents. Why does equity in schools matter? Because the students' perceptions of their school's equity can have a significant impact on a variety of positive outcomes. It's important to recognize biases and inequities, some of which are very subtle, and how to respond to these inequities that exist in the educational system. As long as inequity practices persist, schools will continue failing students and preventing them from gaining the minimal level of knowledge that they need, and without this minimum level of knowledge, society will not be refueled with professional and talented individuals to assume leadership responsibilities. So why this discussion about inequities in schools now? For one thing, it's still important. For another, schools should be a place where all students learn and grow into productive, empathetic and responsible adults, but this is still not happening, especially for students of color, even in the 21st century. Let's get started.

Speaker 1: 3:26

Inequities in schools cut across all terrains, including school bus transportation. Let's take the bussing situation in New York City K6 public schools, for example. New York City's school bus fleet is one of the largest in the nation, with over 9,000 buses. Over 100,000 students ride yellow school buses to school in New York City every day. It seems that, while black students are more likely to be eligible for bus service than white students, both black and Hispanic students were less likely to be assigned bus service compared to their white peers who live similarly far from school. One of the barriers to access and utilization that was examined in a 2019 report was that district-level routing restrictions disproportionately affected black students, who tended to live further from school than their peers. Another barrier was that not all schools offer bus service, and black and Hispanic students were more likely to attend schools that did not bus. This is significant because bus service can be a powerful tool for districts to address racial and socioeconomic gaps in educational outcomes, as well as ensure all students have access to high-quality education. Students who used a school bus in New York City were significantly more likely to exercise choice, and, among students who attended choice schools, those who wrote the bus attend schools with higher proficiency rates For equity and access to and utilization of school buses may have important consequences for access to high-quality schools.

Speaker 1: 5:19

However, barriers to bus service can be the result of multiple factors, including district-level policies and school-level characteristics. The district-level policies often place limits on who is eligible for the school bus and, in particular, school features may influence whether or not principals offer bus service. It is the school principal that has the final say on whether their school offers a bus or not, and roughly 40% of elementary school principals choose not to offer bus service even when bus-eligible students attend their schools, especially in New York City. Another reason for differences in bus utilization is differential enrollment in the schools that offer buses. More specifically, black and Hispanic students are significantly less likely to attend schools that offer buses compared to white students. In contrast, schools with higher shares of white and Asian students were more likely to offer buses. In general, schools with a higher share of bus-eligible students are more likely to provide a bus. School principals were more likely to offer bus services when their schools were a charter school or a school with gifted and talented programs.

Speaker 1: 6:42

There is a correlation between equity and quality education in K-12 schools. Therefore, utilizing equity and quality strategies in the classroom can positively change children's lives. Equity and quality work for all students and help all communities to reduce social effects of poor educational attainment. Communities should place more emphasis, as well as higher value, on academic achievement of all students, because these are the students that will become the well-educated workforce. School leadership is also an important part of this equation, because equity requires that school leadership is dedicated to the success of all students.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Equity in education means more than personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin or family background, and these may be obstacles to achieving educational fairness that all individuals reach at least minimum levels of skills In. Equity, then, means that personal or social circumstances are obstacles to achieving educational fairness. In light of this, it also means that not every individual reaches the minimum basic level of skills. Equity and access are essential components for quality education. However, these components continue to persist as barriers in the United States, and has been that way for decades. Equity will be achieved when all students receive the resources they need so that they can graduate prepared for success after high school. Equity means that not all students are receiving the resources they need to succeed.

Speaker 1: 8:38

An equitable system doesn't treat all students in a one-size-fits-all way, but should differentiate instruction services and resources to respond effectively to students' diverse needs so that each student can develop to his or her full academic and social potential. I've discussed numerous trends of differentiated learning, including place-based education, blended learning, maker spaces, culturally responsive teaching, etc. On my show in previous episodes. Yet inequities in schools still exist. Educational equity is about ensuring that all students have access to the educational foundation they need to reach their full potential. It's not about forcing all students to the same destination. It seems easy enough to embrace, but it's a lot more complex to put into action. It's no surprise that Black students, hispanic students and students from low-income backgrounds have less access to schools with quality educators, access to advanced placement courses and a positive school climate, compared to white, asian and affluent students.

Speaker 1: 9:57

I've been speaking about inequities in schools, but inequalities also exist. However, there's a difference between inequity and inequality. What equality looks like in the classroom is giving every student the same material, assignment deadlines and similar correspondence with their families. Equality means that every individual or group of people have the same resources and opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates resources and opportunities that are needed to reach an equal outcome. The path toward equity begins by recognizing the unseen layers that students carry, such as poverty, homelessness, immigration status, disability and others. The best way to achieve academic equity is to understand the individual needs of all students.

Speaker 1: 10:57

Embracing equity standards helps to shield students from the harmful effects of low expectations. Instead, it's beneficial for the school culture to celebrate excellence and continuously seek to improve the education system, leaving no child behind. As with all things in life, there's a balance. Sometimes, in the pursuit of equity, some school districts are going just a bit too far. For example, california has sought to eliminate advanced math classes and bar children from eighth grade algebra because of equity. In a quote unquote grading for equity schools students receive no consequences for misdecyements or for turning in lousy work. Because of equity, some teachers have even been urged to abandon math practices, like expecting students to find the correct answer. Because of equity. In 2021, kate Brown, the governor of Oregon, signed a law repealing the state's requirement that high schoolers be able to pass reading, writing and math tests in order to graduate. This is definitely taking equity too far, because there is no more threatening educational policy to any state's black, latino, latina, indigenous Asian, pacific Islander students of color than to suggest that it's okay for them to graduate without being able to read.

Speaker 1: 12:37

The focus of the education system should be that students master certain skills that students should learn to work hard, to turn their work in on time, to respect their teachers and to feel challenged. Students should graduate with sufficient literacy to be successful contributors to the workforce. So is it possible to create environments where inequities are mitigated and where young people are known, nurtured and healed? Yes, it's possible, and one way to do that is through a restorative approach to school. Restorative approaches to schools are central dimensions of the whole child's approach to education, which recognizes the unique strengths, needs and interests of students. It supports students' academic, cognitive and social emotional growth, their physical and mental well-being, as well as promote their distinct individual identities. Restorative approaches are about upgrading the long-standing inequities in schools and societies by building safe, inclusive learning environments where consistent, caring relationships can thrive and every young person is valued and affirmed.

Speaker 1: 13:58

One example of a restorative approach is by building trust through home visits. School communities and school districts around the country have implemented parent-teacher home visits, a model of home visits program actually developed in 1998 in Sacramento, california. The program models include five core practices designed to foster a deeper understanding and develop trust between educators and families. These core practices include one, arranging visits in advance and keeping them voluntary for families and teachers. Two, providing training for teachers and compensating them for visits outside of their school day. Three, avoiding targeting of specific students for home visits so there's no stigma attached within. Four, conducting visits in pairs so teachers can debrief after the visits. And five, focusing the first visit on relationship building. There are more than 700 communities in 27 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted this model of home visits, which provides benefits to educators as well as parents. Us schools and districts can implement approaches that help students develop their voices and their full identities while preparing protections and support. Schools and districts should prioritize developing teachers so that they enact culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching methodologies, so that they replace harsh, discriminatory discipline practices with restorative practices, and to provide the tools and personnel to understand and support students' holistic needs.

Speaker 1: 15:58

Sometimes, a simple policy change can make a big difference. One such change occurred in Washington State school districts when they made the decision to automatically enroll students who were seeking more rigorous coursework on their own, and only allowing those students to opt out with parental permission. Every district in Washington State would be required to adopt a version of the policy called academic acceleration for math, science and English classes by the 2021-2022 school year. Under a first of its kind state law signed by Governor Jake Inslee last year, the policy was designed to address the pervasive problem of Black, latino and Native American students, as well as students from low-income households, who were less likely to take advanced placement, dual enrollment and other challenging courses compared to their white, asian and more fluent peers. Now, students who showed mastery on state reading, science and math tests were automatically placed in the next available rigorous course. District leaders indicated that there's a difference between being unqualified and being unidentified, which is the gap that ties into some of the most entrenched forms of inequity in American schools. Washington State provides some grants for students who may have avoided advanced placement courses so that they could enroll in full-time courses because they couldn't afford the fees associated with gaining college credit or taking year-end exams. No state has made such a broad attempt to tackle disparities in advanced courses like Washington State has, but other states, including North Carolina and Colorado, have adopted narrower policies. North Carolina lawmakers, for example, passed a bill in 2018 that required districts to enroll students in grades 3 through 12 in advanced math courses if they scored at the highest level on the previous year's state test. Now this is a great example of why you need to advocate for the best educational outcomes for your children.

Speaker 1: 18:28

Black parents in upper Dublin School District in suburban Philadelphia got tired of no action being taken when they complained that the children were steered into less rigorous classes and faced harsher disciplinary practices. Although they repeatedly met with district administrators, they were basically just getting lip service. What I'm talking about here is tracking the practice of slotting Black students into less rigorous academic courses. The problem is that once a student gets funneled into those classes, which could be as early as middle school, they're unlikely to ever get out and participate in advanced placement or honors classes. These less rigorous courses also don't prepare students for the academic rigor that they will encounter when they enter college. The parents filed a federal complaint that finally reached agreement through mediation after four years. Under the settlement, by the 2022-2023 school year, the district would have no tracks besides academic and honors at the high school level, and student enrollment in AP and honors courses should not depend on whether that student previously took AP or honors courses. The settlement also required that all staff undergo implicit bias training and that the administrative and instructional staff at the high school had to undergo training in restorative disciplinary practices as well. The upper Dublin district data show that African American students make up fewer than 4% enrolled in the upper level math courses at the high school and about 3% of those taking upper level science classes in 2020.

Speaker 1: 20:24

It's important for parent advocacy groups to look out for their current students, but also to be constantly on the lookout for families with younger children so that both families can get engaged in parent advocacy. Here are the action steps you can take regarding this topic. The main action that you can take regarding this topic is to stay abreast of what's happening in your child's classroom and school. Be aware of whether the curriculum and teaching style of your child's teacher meets the holistic needs of your child. Stay involved as a parent advocate to ensure that your child is receiving the resources that he or she needs to be academically successful. Finally, be ready to step in and step up when necessary, so that the changes that you want and those that you have requested get addressed, if they have not been thus far. Here are this episode's takeaways.

Speaker 1: 21:36

There is a correlation between equity and quality education in K-12 schools in the United States. Therefore, utilizing equity and quality strategies in the classroom can positively change children's lives. Equity and quality work with all students and help all communities to reduce the social effects of poor educational attainment. Communities should place more emphasis, as well as a higher value, on academic achievement of all students, because these are the students that will become the well-educated workforce. Equity will be achieved when all students receive the resources they need so that they can graduate prepared for success after high school. Inequity means that not all students are receiving the resources that they need. An equitable system doesn't treat all students in a one-size-fits-all way, but should differentiate instruction services and resources to respond effectively to students' diverse needs so that each student can develop to his or her full academic and social potential. Restorative approaches to schools are central dimensions of the whole child approach to education which recognize the unique strengths, needs and interests of students. It supports students' academic, cognitive and social emotional growth, their physical and mental well-being, as well as promote their distinct individual identities. Restorative approaches are about upgrading the long-standing inequities in schools and societies by building safe, inclusive learning environments where consistent, caring relationships can thrive and every young person is valued and affirmed.

Speaker 1: 23:33

Did you enjoy this episode? If so, do me a favor and go to podinboxcom. Forward slash pay12educationuntangled and leave me a text message or a voice message about how you're enjoying my show. That's podinboxcom. Forward. Slash pay12educationuntangled. You can also support my show by leaving me a review on Apple or PodChaser. This would really help my ratings as well as entice other people to listen to the show and share this episode with anyone that you think would find it valuable. Be sure to tell your friends, family and community about my podcast. Thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K-12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. Be sure to stay tuned. On. The next episode I'll be discussing competency-based education. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day.