In the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, the United States Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Following that momentous decision, there has been much movement to ensure that subsequent outcomes remained true to the intent of the Supreme Court ruling. Perhaps we have come far, but the reality is that we have so much ground to cover.
In the decades since Brown, our country has struggled with the concept and meaning of equity, as well as its practice: providing accessible, challenging, and authentic opportunities for all children. Added to the complexity of realizing the goal of Brown v. Board of Education is the fact that the word equity has expanded to include, but is not limited to, issues affiliated with gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and physical and mental challenges. We have come to realize that equity in education has two dimensions: fairness and inclusion.
ASCD has always been committed to promoting equity and, in doing so, has engaged many authors, researchers, and practitioners to write about this issue, share promising practices, and provide essential data to deepen our understanding of the divisions in education. While we believe our work has influenced educators' practices, we recognize that our country still has far to travel on the road toward equity and justice for all. Inherent in this work is the belief that fairness must define our country's education opportunities and related policies and practices.
In deepening our commitment to equity, ASCD has refocused two of our primary conferences—our summer event on teaching excellence and fall gathering on leadership—to concentrate on equity for all. Recognizing that the design of education systems, instructional strategies, and the allocation of resources affect equity, we have worked to ensure that our conferences prioritize the active engagement of participants to share, network, and collaborate in a "learn and do" conference setting. Educators from across the world will interact with researchers and practitioners to begin developing an action plan that addresses specific areas of focus, such as community and family engagement, to meet the promise of equity for all. We hope you will join us in Dallas, Texas, June 29–July 1, and in Nashville, Tennessee, November 2–4. Your work is important to this cause.
I believe that what we offer to our students tells them what we value. When we provide opportunities to our students that we would want for our own children, we express that they matter and that we will support them in the pursuit of their dreams. Rather than focusing primarily on achievement gaps, we must also push to rectify opportunity gaps—those chances that lift students in ways that give them hope and promise for a brighter future. In addressing equity, opportunities matter.
Across our country, educators are striving to meet the challenge of Brown v. Board in various ways (read "Lessons from Little Rock" in the September 2017 issue of Education Update). School desegregation efforts led by districts, such as Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky, are inspiring a new generation to deliver on the promise of education equity. To ensure that every student has opportunities to thrive and achieve at high levels, educators are aligning equity-based goals with school and district practices that include, but are not limited to, ensuring access to rigorous coursework, reexamining discipline policies, identifying students of color for gifted education services, and providing culturally relevant materials.
Reflecting on the 1954 decision, we must acknowledge the rocky road we have traveled thus far and strive to make it less rough for our youth who trust us to make their futures brighter. Our students deserve no less.
With a vow to keep growing in our craft, here's to the kids who teach us so much and to the educators who learn from them every day! ASCD is proud to partner with you on this journey.
