Equality, in Schools

Jean M. Haar

Equality connotes sameness and the absence of discrimination, while equity refers to fairness and social justice. By the twentieth century, schooling had been identified as crucial in connection with an individual's economic and social success; consequently, schooling assumed an importance for fulfilling the practical expression of equality. Beginning with the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education , and continuing with a steady increase in federal government programs in the 1960s and the education finance reform efforts in the 1970s, a major portion of mid- and latetwentieth-century education policy was directed at achieving greater equality. Equity in education has revolved around such issues as gender, race, socioeconomic status, disabilities, and fiscal equity. The goal of gender equity is to build learning environments where neither boys nor girls feel confined by stereotypes and expectations about who they are. Both boys and girls exhibit different strengths and have ...

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