Previous Discussions
Equity in Alameda
What are the issues of equity related to race, socio-economics, culture, etc.? Do you have any proposed solutions?
Parent, 2/1/03
Our schools have neither equality nor equity. We can assume that they have equality in that staffing ratios, funding per pupil, etc. are uniform across the district. They have equality in that the measurements by which they are judged are equal. They do not have equality in the nature of the community they serve, the capacity to provide additional funds via PTA or other parent activity, the ability of the parent community to support the school through volunteerism, the socio-economic mixture of students and the concomitant life experiences that the students bring to the classroom. They do not have equality in the experience or lack of it of their faculties. They do not have equality in the perception of the total community towards them. They do not have equality in their facilities. When the Navy was in Alameda the federal government sent many dollars of impact aid to the district. In a spirit of equality these funds were absorbed into the general fund and spread throughout the district. The impact of the Navy however was felt essentially at the west end schools. We had equality, but not equity.
Given that equality on some of these issues is beyond the scope of what the district can provide, if we claim to have equity in the district, then there has to be an effort, a recognition and, a focus to change those conditions that we can change.
Immediately coming to mind is the decision to have the Dell grant implemented at Wood and Lincoln. The reason given was that there was no teacher at Encinal who could implement the program there, and that it was too far for the Chipman students to get to Alameda High School. This exemplifies not only the community attitude towards our west end schools, but also the administrations approach. The fact of the matter is that the principals of the west end schools (Chipman and Encinal) were not consulted, and using distance as a factor in a community of this size is specious reasoning at best. Equity will only be achieved when there is a conscious effort to make it happen.
Almost all of the Alameda Housing Authority low income projects are located within the attendance zones of a few schools as is the remnants of a program sponsored by the federal government, Harbor Island built with a low interest federal loan. The homeless population generated by the base conversion similarly impacts the same group of schools. It is hardly surprising that the under performing schools are these same schools.
If our mission is to offer equal opportunity to all students, then there has to be a method devised for the distribution of assets under the districts control, in proportion to the need. We could insist that PTA’s from wealthy schools share their fund raising with needier schools, but this is not a feasible alternative. The PTA council has made a modest effort to help the PTA’s in west end schools be more effective, but if the assets are not in the population of the school, then fund raising, no matter how efficient and creative, will not generate similar amounts.
The solution has to lie in the districts distribution of discretionary assets–the Dell project–SIP funds instead of being distributed on a per capita basis, could be allocated on the basis of need–If a school has 5 children performing below grade level in reading, and another 20, let the funds be distributed so that all of the children in need are served, equally, and not some with four times the services.
It is a truism that schools with the most affluent populations attract and keep qualified teachers. Alameda schools are no exception. The rate of turnover is different from school to school. The district has no control over this issue, but could mitigate the problem by providing additional staff development time and opportunities to the newest teachers in proportion to the numbers at each school.
I am glad that you are asking for input on this issue–it is complicated but only be thinking about it and taking a look at the problems and possibilities can we move forward.
Teacher, 2/15/03
I am becoming more and more aware that people do not even understand equity. They think we are talking about who gets how much. It is far deeper than that. It is a way of thinking and it is what you understand based on life experience or being open to seeing the experience through the eyes of others. The problem is that those who don*t see it is that they don*t want to. Once you see it, you have to do something or it becomes difficult to deal with your conscience.
I advocate for identifying who needs what the most to be academically ready to graduate. We should then provide each site with the resources it needs to meet the needs of those who are most in need and what is left over gets divided evenly. This includes not just money. It means, time, resources, policies, etc. Equal is not equality. There are kids at every school in this district who need us to see that they are not getting what they need while we provide opportunities that even widen the achievement gap.
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Last modified: February 15, 2003
Disclaimer: This website is the sole responsibility of Mike McMahon. It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the Alameda Unified School District. Its sole purpose is to disseminate information to interested individuals in the Alameda community.