Equity Literacy Project
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INTRODUCTION
Contributor: Monica Shirley
I can remember sitting in Panera, during this time they were one of the few places with free wi-fi and studying for my Family Law final exam. As I poured over the material, the term equitable distribution kept coming up as it related to disseminating property during a divorce. It dawned on me that I really did not know what this term meant. I had always thought that equitable and equal were synonymous, but as I read the text, I realized that I was incorrect. I emailed my professor hoping for a quick response and to her credit, she emailed me back rather quickly. I will never forget what she said because although she was simply explaining a term I needed to know for the exam, her explanation proved to be relevant in so many areas. She basically stated that equal meant that each person got half or even parts of something. For example, if the couple had $100,000 in an account and it was dispersed equally, they would both receive $50,000 i.e., equal parts. Equitability, however, is different. Practicing equity requires more thought. It requires a deeper more critical look into the needs of the parties involved. Imagine a baseball game being played in a field and you come across three children who want to watch the game, but their view is obscured by a tall wooden fence. In order to help them, you go and find three boxes which are each 2ft tall. As you carry the boxes back you feel very proud of yourself because you have solved the problem and treated everyone the same. You distribute the boxes and each child climbs onto their respective box, however, another problem arises. What I failed to mention is that each child is of a different height. The tallest child stands on the box and now towers over the fence and can not only see the game but can climb over the fence now. The second child climbs on the box but still must stand on their tippy-toes to barely see over the fence and the last child climbs on their box but still cannot see over the fence at all. Alas, you go back on the hunt for boxes to fix the problem and miraculously you find three more boxes of different heights. One box is 1ft, another box is 2ft, and the third box is 3ft. You give the tallest box to the shortest child, the shortest box to the tallest child, and the last box to the remaining child. Now, each child can comfortably see over the fence and watch the game. In a nutshell, this is the definition of equity. You can distribute equal parts of something but for some whose needs a different, that still may not be enough to aid them in attaining their goal. Equity is centered on determining the needs of individuals and distributing time, property, resources, etc. in the manner that they require.
TERMS
Equity
Acceptance
Favorable reception; approval; favor. The fact or state of being accepted or acceptable. [1]
Achievement Gaps
The difference in academic performance between groups of students is referred to as the “ac