EDUC 3013 Lecture 17: 10.1 Equality of Educational Opportunity and the Achievement Gap
Document Summary
Equality of educational opportunity and the achievement gap. Howe"s argument: equal educational opportunity pretty much doesn"t have a meaning, critiques two common interpretations. Compensatory: proposes a third interpretation: participatory. Equal access: remove formal barriers to education, but what happens in school is also important (ex: student who speaks only chinese being put into an english-only classroom. Is that really equal: equal educational opportunities are based on interactions between individuals and institutions, aside from removing formal barriers to education, this keeps the status quo. Compensatory: equal vs. equitable argument, educational opportunity has a chain-like quality linked to past/future opportunities, seen in special ed, ell programs, school funding issues, critiqued for not challenging the roots of problems (poverty, inequality) Reinforces status quo by making white males the norm and comparing everyone to them. Fits with affirmative action hiring and admission policies.
