Equity and equitable access “refers to the idea that every student in any classroom in any public school in Delaware should have the same opportunity as any other student to be taught by a great teacher who is supported by a great leader.” Our state “has long focused on closing educator equity gaps because we, as a state, believe that we will only close the achievement gap for our highest need students if all students have equitable access to the most capable and well-prepared educator” (Delaware Department of Education, 2015).
In Delaware, there are 43,780 public school students living in poverty, 78,648 students of color, 13,363 students who are English language learners, and 22,478 students with disabilities (Delaware Department of Education, 2015). In Delaware and across the United States, many poor and minority students do not have access to the same educational opportunities as non-minority students due to biases that exist in academic and curricular access, discipline referral systems, teacher performance, admission practices, and more.
To learn more about equity in education and ways that educators can reduce racial disproportionality and disparities in our schools, please click the buttons at the top of the page.
As you navigate the research on inequity in education, please consider these questions:
- In what ways are equity and inequity defined?
- How well do I know the impacts of inequity on our schools and students?
- What can I do to make my school more equitable? How can my school’s existing or developing MTSS/PBS team make our school more equitable?