We Know What Equity Looks Like, and We are Passionate About it
Equity is a cause I have fought for all my life, since the days I taught in a Homeless Shelter School in Salt Lake City. It is the cause of my heart. I work every day—as I know many of you do—in the hope that some day every blessed child can walk into her neighborhood school and have everything necessary to succeed.
I fight every day—as I know many of you do—so that students in our most vulnerable and marginalized communities will some day have the same access to great public schools as children in the most affluent communities.
Today we have taken a major step toward making that dream a reality. This morning Secretary Duncan announcedthat his Office of Civil Rights will – as a priority - investigate claims that children of color do not enjoy the same extracurricular programs, Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement programs, and arts and athletic programs.
They will investigate claims that facilities, technology, and instructional materials are not equally available to all children. They will investigate claims that critical support services and licensed, experienced teachers are not equally available to all children.
We know what equity looks like. Walk into the most impressive, shiny, gorgeous public school you can find. It has a theater department and a chemistry lab and a library full of books. It has computer clusters and sports equipment and a schedule full of AP offerings. You know those schools. They are the best schools in the world.
Equity means every school should look like those schools. When someone says, “We can’t afford that,” fearless fighters for equity will say, “Si se puede! Yes, you can.” If you can afford it for those kids, you can afford it for these kids.
But they can only investigate where they know there is a problem. When I found out the Secretary was doing this wonderful thing, I asked my NEA staff to create a place on our website where we can gather the claims that trigger these investigations:
Stake your claim. Tell the story of a school crying out for equity. Tell us where it is and the information will go directly to the Office of Civil Rights. Si se puede. Go Fight Win.We Know What Equity Looks Like, and We are Passionate About it - Lily's Blackboard:
