Knowra Educational equity Educational equity Educational equity is the pursuit of fair opportunities and outcomes in education across differences in students’ circumstances. It addresses barriers that make access, participation, or achievement unequal.
Equity in education : The principle that educational resources and support should respond to students’ differing needs to enable fair opportunities and outcomes. This closely related framework translates equity into decisions about resources and support.
Achievement gap : A persistent difference in measured academic performance between groups of students. Achievement gaps are commonly used to describe unequal educational outcomes.
Brown v. Board of Education : The 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The ruling made equal access to public schooling a central legal demand.
Equality : The condition or principle of treating people as equal, often through the same rights, resources, or opportunities. Educational equity differs from equality when students need different support to access comparable opportunities.
School funding : The public and private revenue systems that pay for schools, staff, facilities, and educational services. Funding formulas determine whether schools serving different communities have comparable capacity.
Digital divide : Unequal access to digital devices, reliable internet, and the skills needed to use them. Digital access shapes students’ ability to participate in modern learning.
Civil Rights Act of 1964 : A United States law prohibiting discrimination on grounds including race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Its provisions established federal tools for challenging discrimination in education.
Meritocracy : A system in which positions or rewards are allocated according to individual ability and achievement. Merit-based selection can overlook how unequal circumstances shape measured achievement.
Resource allocation : The process of distributing money, staff, materials, and services among competing needs. Equity efforts depend on directing resources toward barriers and unmet needs.
Special education : Specialized instruction and services for students whose disabilities affect their education. Access to appropriate services tests whether schools accommodate differing needs.
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