Speech Analysis of Solving the Achievement Gap Through Equity, Not Equality (Essay Example)

Most developed societies take many things for granted, including our rights to education. Many people do not truly realize the doors education opens for them. It gives you a sense of purpose. It allows you to become an independent person. It offers you life skills, the ability to problem-solve, and the ability to become a productive member of society. I believe that everyone deserves the right to receive equity in education, regardless of social status, race, ethnicity, gender, or income. 

Education has always been lacking in more ways than one. This is why we need to rethink our education system as a whole. Our criteria for the lessons, environment, hours spent doing schoolwork are way too rigid. For a myriad of reasons, it’s a system designed to favor privileged people. Not to mention, the inability to provide all types of people with access to a good education sentences them to a substandard existence. One where they will most likely work laboring jobs, to be able to meet the bills. This also affects mental health, which may put you at higher risk of drug abuse or suicide. In short, it continues a cycle of poverty and violence.

But what does it mean to have equity in education? Is it enough for the government to mandate schooling for youth?  As we all know, there is quite a big difference between equality and equity. Equality is defined as “The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” Equity is defined as “fair and impartial to any sort of bias”. In our current educational system, we see that all kids allegedly have the same opportunities to gain education and advance in life. This is not true. We are not all given an equal playing field.

In the ted talk, “Solving the Achievement Gap Through Equity, Not Equality” given by Linsdey Ott, she discusses what her career as an educator has shown her. She shows us exactly how differently a normal school day plays out by providing a real-life example of two students from completely different backgrounds. Through her storytelling, we can see the issues that no one discusses with the system we have in place. 

The education system tends to leave underprivileged kids behind. Students are expected to put in hours of work for school, which isn’t realistic for everyone. If anything, it’s ignorant to set such high standards. As Linsdey Ott said, “equality and equity are not synonymous… you give two people a size ten pair of shoes, some will be very excited unless you don’t wear a size ten”. Why do those in power forget that many people do not live in the same cushy reality that they do? Time and time again, we see that the rate of graduation in lower-income areas is significantly lower than the neighborhoods with higher incomes. The speaker also talks about how her assignments do not support all the student's “ talents, abilities, and goals”. Again, this demonstrates the consequences of uniformity in classrooms.

For example, when I was growing up, it wasn’t easy for me to be a good student. I was told my education did not matter, and I was discouraged from even prioritizing school work. The older I grew the more I was forced to make school my second choice. In my teens, I reached a period in my life where it was difficult to focus on school. A combination of all different factors of my life came together, and I became depressed. Many teachers questioned my future because they could not understand what type of environment I was raised in, and why I didn't see value in gaining an education. Even when I wanted to improve, I was not allowed to, because I was expected to come home and do chores after school. Now compare my story to one of my classmates who were not under the same type of expectations. It becomes easy to see, we were both attending school, in the same classes but yet we were not equal in any sense of the word. 

Are students at fault then, for what they eventually end up becoming? Why do we not question what causes the suffering in the world? I believe it all begins with our youth. Our standards for education should not just be that we send kids to school. What do any of us gain, if we send youth to an environment where they end up losing more than they were ever set up to gain? 

Many schools don't even have the same resources. Some students learn surrounded by violence in the classroom itself. Some schools don’t even have proper funding for extracurriculars, tutoring, or free test prep for mandatory standardized testing. Another problem mentioned in the school system, lack of effort on the part of educators. As mentioned in the ted talk, “many educators do not want to put in extra effort to individualize lesson plans”. In a world with so much diversity, it can be very difficult to make sure that every student’s needs are met. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try at all. Imagine all the difference it would make in the long run, if our leaders found a sustainable way to implement equity in our schools.

In a system that’s fair to everyone, ideally, no student would be forced to miss days to support their families. Or be late because of lack of transportation. Or be punished for not being able to focus when we are struggling with mental health, anxiety about stuff at home? We would all be able to succeed. These are not excuses, this is called life. When life happens, most of the time we are greeted with understanding, but in school settings that mercy is nonexistent. When talking about the self-concept, the speaker says, “10.9 million school students live below the poverty line, showing up to school with a negative self-concept because they cannot fit into the standards set by society.” This is incredibly demotivating for students. This also tends to be a pretty disregarded issue. We try to defend this by cherry-picking the few stories of underprivileged kids who managed to beat out the system. 

In conclusion, stop pretending that the education system works for everyone. It just doesn’t. When we put our blinds on and ignore the kids who are struggling to survive educational institutions we aren’t just doing them a disservice. We are causing ourselves and society to become more damaged. When we send our kids to school we tell them our intentions are for them to receive a good education, so they can lead good lives. But we show them otherwise. While we intend to put more people in positions that contribute positively to our communities, we do a terrible job. We criticize those who we consider burdens, not understanding that we are the villains who forced them to end up that way. Most importantly, we need to change the mindset people have around there only being one way to succeed. There are many ways to live a good and successful life, and being open-minded is the only way we can ever advance.