Image: "All smiles, Instructor Jim Loter with a student, after class answering questions, computer lab, Infomatics, iSchool, Mary Gates Hall, University of Washington, USA" by Wonderlane is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Overview

This module focuses on applying what we have learned about American educational history to current equity issues we face in the classroom. Educational equity means every child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. 

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Understand the role of the School boards

• Evaluate the US public education system over time for equity for all students.

• Relate an issue being discussed by a contemporary school board to a similar problem in US educational history or a legal, ethical, or communication issue covered in this course.

• Use your preferred medium of expression to craft your evaluation of how well U.S. schools have provided equitable education from the colonial period to the present.
  
  

Learning Activities

• Assignment # 10: Analyzing the Progress of Equity in Schools

• Weekly Journal: Self-Care for Future Educators: Make Taking Care of Ourselves a Priority

• After-Class Reflection

Learning Activities 

Assignment #10: Analyzing the Progress of Equity in Schools

Goal: To evaluate how the US schools have provided equitable education from the colonial period to the present. 

Instructions: 

Weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 provided an overview of the history of education in the United States. Emphasis was placed on access to and equity in education for various groups such as African Americans, girls and women, Hispanic Americans, immigrants/English Language Learners, Native Americans, students with disabilities, and low-income students.

Use your preferred medium of expression to craft your evaluation on how well U.S. schools have provided equitable education from the colonial period to the present. You can create a poem, song, essay, video, or any other form of media that aligns with your learning preference and allows you to convey your thoughts effectively. Make sure that you include the following elements in your assignment.

1. Define the term "equity" and how it differs from the term "equality" in US education. Why is this distinction so important?

2. Select two groups of people who struggled to get access to US schools, and be sure to cite specific examples of court cases, people, or events. For example, if talking about Catholics as one of your groups, you might reference the "Bible riots" or "Dagger John". Use the notes you took during the videos (and feel free to watch parts of the videos again to refresh your memory about specific historical facts).

3. Concluding paragraph: How does the lack of equity in the history of our school system make you feel? Please name the feeling and discuss. Does this information inspire you to take some action personally?

Weekly Journal Self-Care for Future Educators: Make Taking Care of Ourselves a Priority

Teaching is deeply meaningful work, but it can also be emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding. One of the most important professional habits you can build now, as a future educator, is the ability to care for yourself with intention. Sustainable teaching begins with sustainable you.

Why Self-Care Matters in Education

As teachers, we support students through academic challenges, emotional stress, life transitions, and moments of growth. To do this well, we need to nurture and protect our own well-being. Self-care is not indulgent; it’s an essential part of ethical and responsible teaching. When you care for yourself, you:

• Strengthen your resilience and emotional regulation

• Model healthy habits for your students

• Improve your creativity, patience, and decision-making

• Build longevity in the profession
  
  

Your Self-Care Journal 

Throughout the module, you are invited to keep a simple Self-Care Journal. Make a copy of this Google Document and download the copy. Your journal’s purpose is to record one activity that you are doing to take care of yourself each week. We need to develop habits of self-care so that it can become part of our practice. The suggested prompts are provided to help you get started. If you are doing something else than the suggested activity, then add it to your journal. In your After-Class Reflection, report what you are doing each week as a self-care practice. 

Week 10 –After Class Reflections

Goal: The goal of this activity is to gather feedback on your understanding of concepts each week and address any questions you may have related to the content and instructions. This is considered a form of formative assessment. 

Instructions: Please complete the survey.