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?
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 language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Educational Administration |
Volume | 59 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 4 Feb 2021 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Education
- Public Administration