Equity and Education: Exploring Root Causes and Collective Action

1. WORKSHOP 2: EDUCATION POLICY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Session Facilitator: William Spiegel Guest Presenter: Curt Benjamin

2. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS Root Cause Analysis is a systematic approach to get to the true root causes of our process problems.

3. Choice EquityandEducation EDUCATION POLICY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Curt Benjamin, Northern Utah UniServ

6. Does the Issue organize, invoke collective action and create Union? Will the Issue maintain validity adhering to our values as an Association? How is the Issue inclusive? Who enjoys privilege? Does it recognize the diversity of our membership? Who should lead? Does it accurately describe conditions? Can it be confirmed or corroborated? Like panning for gold, Sifting issues --such as those fundamental to equity-- through each step provides it focus and a filter to help determine weight, value. and implement. Does the Issue elicit empathy to inspire action?

7. Equity Claim: “Separate but Equal”*All children can have equal facilities and opportunities if we have freedom to send them to schools we choose. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) to Brown v. Board of Ed. Topeka (1954) • Critique • Collective Action • Contribution *Almost like a series spin-off or sequel, this concept will be reiterated several more times. Stay tuned.

8. Equity Claim*: Vouchers provide equity and libertyMaximize freedom of choice by returning some taxpayer money to address the legitimate equity and quality complaints poor parents and parents of color have regarding their children’s education by providing opportunities outside of public school systems. • Critique • Collective Action Response • Contribution “This obsession with crushing public schools to promote privately operated things is not universally accepted, and people are just starting to sour on it.”

9. Equity Claim*: Charter SchoolsAs essentially public schools, charters provide laboratories of choice. “If the taxpayer is paying for education, it’s public education,”—charter schools, private schools, and even homeschooling—is “public education” and therefore has rightful claim to public funds meant for teachers, local schools, and any initiative voters approve, regardless of the intent. • Critique • Collective Action/Association Response • Contribution “The problem with charter schools isn’t that they’re competing with public schools; it’s that they’re supplanting public schools…” “Our objection to sharing bond referendum money with charter schools is that it’s not what the money was intended for.” Anna Fusco, the president of the Broward Teachers Union. “This is part of an incremental and deliberate effort to take apart our public school system…Parents and voters are just starting to get engaged, but they aren’t always clear on the issues. They don’t understand that charter schools aren’t really like public schools.”

10. Equity Claim*: Standards & AccountabilityNCLB sought to address the “soft bigotry of low expectations” and to make sure “all our children do learn.” • Critique • Collective Action Response • Contribution “The purpose of this was to shame schools and teachers…We already knew which students needed help and which schools and teachers needed more support. But it’s easier to label schools and teachers failing and hand everything over to a private charter operator than it is to do what these schools and communities actually need.”

11. Equity Claim: ______________________ • Critique • Collective Action/Association Response • Legacy

12. EXERCISE: Root Causes Exploration • Build a team. • Identify an equity claim that is important to all members at your table. (“Separate but Equal”, Vouchers, Accountability Movement, Charter School Movement, etc. ) • On chart paper, identify what key beliefs, ideas systems, organizations, leaders, Associations that play a role in the equity claim.

13. Does the Issue organize, invoke collective action and create Union? Will the Issue maintain validity adhering to our values as an Association? How is the Issue inclusive? Who enjoys privilege? Does it recognize the diversity of our membership? Who should lead? Does it accurately describe conditions? Can it be confirmed or corroborated? Like panning for gold, Sifting issues --such as though fundamental to equity-- through each step provides it focus and a filter to help determine weight, value. and implement. Does the Issue elicit empathy to inspire action?

14. Thanks to William for inviting me (Sara for also suggesting) to talk about something I like to talk about and for the opportunity to understand what may be at the root of much of the wider discussion surrounding equity and choice. In preparing and re-familiarizing myself for today the following informed some of my thinking and gave underpinning to the concept as well as material:

15. Bryant, Jeff. (2019) Democrats must choose between teachers and charter schools. Truth Dig (quoted material in slides) https://www.truthdig.com/articles/democrats-must-choose-between-teachers-and-charter-schools/ Guggenheim, David & Billy Kimball (2011). Waiting for "Superman". Hollywood, Calif. :Paramount Home Entertainment Darling-Hammond, Linda, 1951-. (2010). The flat world and education : how America's commitment to equity will determine our future. New York :Teachers College Press Perry, Pamela, 1955-. (2002). Shades of white : white kids and racial identities in high school. Durham, NC :Duke University Press Ravitch, Diane. (2011). The death and life of the great American school system : how testing and choice are undermining education. New York :Basic Books