Equity in Early Childhood Systems—A Closer Look
Schools have always been interested in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI has taken on renewed meaning as student populations become more diverse in every way regarding race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, special needs, and more. Research shows that children and adults alike thrive in diverse, equitable environments.
In this episode of Grow Kinder®, host Dr. Tia Kim speaks with clinical psychologist and social-emotional learning researcher Dr. Mylien Duong. Dr. Duong speaks about the importance of building educators’ self-awareness in equity work and how educators can use perspective-taking and equity audits to help improve DEI in education. She describes how she applies David Foster Wallace’s idea of “seeing the water” to these practices.
Some fish don’t know they are in the water(systemic barrier)- the most obvious or important reality is hard to see (We don’t see it because we are taught not to see it). So as educators, the first thing is to build awareness of the water. Self-awareness is the foundation of regulation. We have to start by building our cultural lens and see how it stacks up (similar or different) with our students’ lenses. Next, we must begin to see the water(decision we make, the system we built, the curriculum we make, and the policy we write) how it is designed for some students and not for others. Then, understanding how pervasive it is, we can tackle it one at a time.
One meaningful way to tackle inequity is by “Equity Audit.” This has to do with the auditing of the classroom, the bookshelf, the math, the curriculum, etc., to reflect the diversity of students. Making the necessary changes is a complex part because it is a process of continuous observation and making changes.
Lesson learned from listening to Dr. Doung. It is important for educators because it is hard to teach what you do not understand. Understanding the water we are in enables us to recognize what is not working in the system and modify it over time.
Understanding the system I am in will help me create a classroom where every student feels they belong.
Ps;- Link to the above Podcasthttps://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjU3NjQ1ODc0OC9zb3VuZHMucnNz/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvMTA2MjE5MTc3Mw?
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of an equity audit. I looked some examples up on google and there are a ton of resources. I tried to copy and paste the podcast you listened to into my browser but it wasn't found. :( Sounds like wonderful information you learned.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tepsa.org/resource/equity-audits-a-powerful-tool-to-transform-teaching-and-learning/
https://www.idra.org/resource-center/using-equity-audits-to-assess-and-address-opportunity-gaps-across-education/
Thanks Kathleen for these links. I will be looking them up.
DeleteThe quote when you said, "We don't see it because we aren't taught to," really stuck out to me. What an important idea and lens for the current social climate. I think you are spot on that educators are called to notice and make a difference in these injustices and inequities. I also hope to check out this blog just as Kathleen said :) Thanks for your thoughtful post!
ReplyDelete-Rebecca Hurth
rebecca.hurth@waldenu.edu
Thank you Rebecca for reading my post. Appreciated!
DeleteI really appreciate the comparison between fish in a tank and educators recognizing inequities. Breaking the pattern of what you are taught and the new information you learn can be difficult, but is definitely necessary. Thank you for sharing this post and they accompanying resources.
ReplyDeleteHow true it is Brianna- breaking away from what you have been taught and embarrassing or the reality can be difficult. However, it must be done if equity in the classroom as to prevail. Thank you contribution.
Delete