Systems Thinking for Excellence and Equity: Introduction to the Special Issue

Haim Shaked, Chen Schechter

    Research output: Contribution to journalEditorial

    Abstract

    Systems thinking for excellence and equity: introduction to the special issue
    Present day schools are expected to demonstrate both excellence and equity. In the present
    era of measurement in education, the staff in each school is held directly accountable for
    ameliorating its students’ academic progress and outcomes. Educational policies worldwide
    require school systems to prove a continuous rise in student achievement levels, particularly
    in a small number of curricular domains deemed crucial for 21st century success, such as
    language, science and mathematics. At the same time, school systems are required to enable
    all students to succeed, regardless of ethnicity, class, gender, physical ability or disability,
    sexual orientation and other potentially marginalizing characteristics. Social justice concepts
    should be realized in schools so that they provide equal opportunities for all students and
    treat them equally, without discrimination or favoritism of any kind.
    Yet, these widely voiced expectations have only been partially realized in schools. Despite
    the substantial contributions of researchers, policymakers and educators to aggressive
    campaign efforts which aimed to turn schools into arenas of scholastic success and social
    justice, the daily reality in schools has not changed sufficiently in the past decades.
    Considering this gap between widespread implementation of evidence-based, long-standing,
    multifaceted initiatives to improve teaching and learning for all students in our school
    systems and the somewhat disappointing school reality, a major question arises: Why has
    only limited progress been made, and why has it been relatively short lived?
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1-4
    Number of pages4
    JournalJournal of Educational Administration
    Volume59
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 4 Feb 2021

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • Education
    • Public Administration

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