Howard E Fields Bücher

Educational equity involves creating or eliminating policies, systems, and practices in schools that affect the experiences and access to resources for previously excluded groups. It transcends simplistic visuals, such as standing on boxes to watch a baseball game, which oversimplify the complexities of equity. This imagery often portrays equity as merely providing for the less fortunate, typically students of color, without addressing underlying biases or the systemic issues that perpetuate inequity. The common depiction suggests that by giving students a box, we enable them to see the game, yet it reinforces deficit thinking by placing the focus on the students rather than the barriers they face. Even when the fence obstructing their view is removed, the students remain mere observers rather than participants. In education, we often fail to dismantle the systemic barriers—policies and practices—that hinder student progress, choosing instead to focus on individual students. Moreover, these students may dislike being relegated to the sidelines due to socioeconomic status, ability, or race. Their efforts to watch the game from outside highlight systemic failures, not personal shortcomings. As gatekeepers within the education system, we influence who gains access and must recognize that the obscured view belongs to us, not the students. It is imperative for educators, parents, policymakers, and community members to act and ad