It is frequently said that few things in life are fair. From life to love, we take this to be the case. Take into account our schools: Do they seem fair?
Equity, the study of fairness, is often talked about within education as the need to meet the requirements for each child in our schools. It is simply fair that each child learns in terms that are beneficial for her.
Equity and excellence has become a significant goal in education in recent times. It's the belief of many educators that better standards will solve our nation’s troubles of underachieving schools, though in my opinion standardized education
It is not my intent to propose that democratic education is the answer for every child. There are certainly children that would not gain from this unique type of instruction; for instance, children who have true behavioral or emotional conditions and require constant supervision. However, for the majority of children, conventional educational methods are undoubtedly not the solution. The student-facilitated learning and teaching methods have proven repeatedly to be very effective at not only teaching our students, but keeping them intrigued with learning.
Educators believe that by working towards equity and excellence, the achievement gap will close up in our schools. It is everybody’s hope our children can take advantage of an exceptional education and attend a fantastic school, irrespective of their race, socioeconomic level, or academic ability. But this utopia cannot happen if the government is controlling our education system. It is, of course, the government that decides what schools get the most money, the best equipment, etc.
You simply can't have the government controlling our schools. To create true equity, to produce true fairness, and be sure schools are meeting the particular, individual needs of children within them, the decision making must come from the local level. This means creating private schools, homeschools, and unschools for our children.
By developing a curriculum that is specifically targeted at our child’s needs, we can be sure that the child is learning at a pace that is suitable for her. Small private schools and homeschools succeed at individualizing a program for their students, and it is because of this reason.
If you are fortunate to live near a democratic school, this is a wonderful solution. Children do not have a curriculum per se, but rather learn organically, as they move through their unique environments. They naturally find subjects that intrigue them, study those subjects with great vigor, and also will uncover the basics when necessary.
When we step beyond the need to assess and standardize our education, we see achievement in a totally new way. Achievement in democratic education is self-assessed. By learning what they really want at their own pace, students are not underachieving… they are achieving exactly how they need to.
This is the real cure for equity and excellence.
On Equity and Excellence