The article focuses on one of the biggest issues in U.S., which is not just limited to the educational system. Social justice and equity is an issue that we can simply address it at any level in the society. The lack of social justice can especially be seen within marginal groups. Baske (2012) focuses on a solution to transform the culture of the schools by designing a program that facilitates social justice and equity through school leadership in U.S. public schools. He uses “art-based principles” to address the issue to the public and make changes towards it by identifying the issue and presenting it to the public trough art in order to create awareness and solve the issue.
Social justice and equity has been an issue for a long time although we have seen a lot of efforts by leaders all around the world to combat it but we still see it not only in developing countries but also developed countries such as U.S. The realities that cause inequity in the society are race, class, gender, sexual identity, religion, immigration status, native language and ability. If we consider schools as a small society we can easily identify social injustice and inequity even at small levels. This doesn’t mean that school leaders are not making any efforts to change the culture of their schools, the reason is even if they are aware of the issue, they have not create enough awareness for the public and they haven’t address it in way to eliminate the issue.
Leadership plays a vital role in this process. As we know leaders are change agents and “leading for social justice is a highly emotional endeavor requiring courage, integrity, imaginative possibilities and self-awareness” (Baske, 2012). To define social justice better we have to understand that noth...
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The last theme is Advocacy to activism. As we mentioned before leaders are change agents, they are not just the advocate of the social justice and equity, they are also leaders who are engage in leading for social justice and equity in their school communities. If we look at it through political aspect we will realize that to walk the talk the leaders need bigger support other than their community. Since there is no boundaries for social justice and equity and in order to prepare school leaders’ way of knowing through sensory experiences for the purpose of meaningful change, school administrations have to grant permission to the leaders and provide funds for them to act as an active advocate. This will give them the opportunity to educate others and share their own experiences in order to transform their lives by practicing social justice and equity.
My definition of social justice in the field of education is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child and the British-Colombia School Act that state that every child has a right to a proper education (UNICEF, n.d.; School Act, RSBC 1996, c. 412). A proper education to me is based on opportunity. I believe that in order to have a proper education, children should all be entitled to equal opportunity in their learning process. Children should have equal opportunity to obtain the supports that will assist them in achieving their potential.
Murray, O. (2011, January). A Call for K-12 Schools to Invest in Social Justice Education. The Education Digest, 76(5), 60-64.
I believe our school should take a step towards improving its culture by getting rid of stereotypes and promoting equality. To make our school a better and safer place we should try and stop people from thinking about and believing stereotypes. So students will not be hindered in any aspect of their school experience, and so they may do their best and get a fair chance for their future.
The task of identifying my social identity was easier said than done. I acknowledged the somewhat privilege I encounter along with the oppression I endure. In retrospect, my social identity unambiguously resembles a coin where on one side oppression lies with dirt rusting but on the flip side privilege stares right back at me, shining bright. I initially could not see the benefits since I’m a low income college student. I became too encompassed with one side of the coin. After we learned what the word, privilege, indeed meant, I realized the various facets of my life in which that word could apply. Self pity can greedily advance on you from out of nowhere thus averting you from flipping the coin. I familiarized with counting my struggles instead of my blessings. In accordance with my social identity I would say I’m privileged with the
Democracy stresses the equality of all individuals and insists that all men are created equal. Democracy does not persist on an equality of condition for all people or argue that all persons have a right to an equal share of worldly goods. Rather, its concept of equality insists that all are entitled to equality of opportunity and equality before the law. The democratic concept of equality holds that no person should be held back for any such arbitrary reasons as those based on race, color, religion, or gender. This concept of equality holds that each person must be free to develop himself or herself as fully as he or she can or cares to and that each person should be treated as the equal of all other persons by the law. We have come a great distance toward reaching the goal of equality for all in this country, but however close we are we are still at a considerable distance from a genuine universally recognized and respected equality for all. I will go into more details giving more information and making it clear to understand equality and civil rights for all and it affects everyone.
Being a teacher for social justice is more than just making sure you include all of your students in your discussions. It is being aware of the injustices that your students may have faced, are already facing, or may face in the future. With this awareness, as teachers, we should be able to reflect on what we know, and respond by using our resources to apply it to the classroom.
Social justice is a core value in the social work field. We define social justice as, “all citizens would possess equal fundamental rights, protection, opportunities, obligations and social benefits (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 29). Unfortunately, we understand there are many members in today’s society that are not receiving social justice. Some may not want help and believe that s/he is able to do it on their own and then there are the individuals that we may not know about that could really use our help. Our jobs as social workers is to help those who need help no matter if they are rich, poor, disabled, white, Hispanic, it does not matter because everyone should be treated equally. As NASW states, “The original mission of social work had much to do with championing the rights of society’s most vulnerable members, from children to homeless people to the physically disabled” (NASW: National Association of Social Workers, 2015, para. 1).
In their lifetime, one in three African American men can expect to go to jail because of their skin color. Racial Justice and profiling is a huge issue in America because innocent men and women are being targeted because of their skin color. On February 26, 2012 a young African American teenager was shot and killed because of his skin color (“Crime and Race Follow-up: Shooting of unarmed Black Teenager in Florida creates Civil Uproar.” Issues and Controversy Facts on File News Services, 16 April 2012. Web. 11 Feb 2014). Racial inequality is as real as it was fifty plus years ago during the Civil Rights Movement, and we need to work together and stop the hate.
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems with schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school system or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement.
Leaders are the individuals who help to create options and opportunities. They help in identifying the choices and solve the problems. They build commitment and coalitions. Leaders do this by inspiring others and working along with them to construct the shared vision of the possibilities and commitments of a better group, organization or community. They engage the followers in such a way that most of the followers become leaders in their own right. The variety of demands of an increasingly complex world very often require that leadership be shared by most of the members of an organization, in appropriate ways for different situations. A leader is the on...
“Social Justice in Education” by R. W. Connell discusses the role of education in society and the implications that social justice issues have on education. Connell begins by establishing that education and social justice can be examined separately yet they are inescapably linked through the social medium of their implementation. “Education concerns schools, colleges and universities, whose business is to pass knowledge on to the next generation. Social justice is about income, employment, pensions or physical assets like housing.”(Connell, 1993) Three points validating the equal importance of social justice and the education system to people of all delineations are: 1.) in Western society public schools are key forums of social interaction and comprise some of the largest social institutions 2.) educational institutions are highly economic bodies and have become “major public assets” (Connell, 1993) 3.) teaching becomes a vehicle by which society is ultimately determined and has a great influence over society’s morality. Connell describes the meaning of justice in education as being “a question of fairness in distribution… equality.”(Connell, 1993) “Justice cannot be achieved by distributing the same… standard good to… all social classes.”(Connell, 1993) By stating this, Connell summarizes that in the attempt to achieve equality, unequal means must be employed.
Komives, Susan R., and Wendy Wagner. Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2009. Print.
Most people don’t see public schools as an issue. Reading through these readings I see that unfortunately our schools are failing some of our students. When reading A Place Called School Goodlad states, “Jencks went so far as to conclude that school reform could do little to reduce the extent of cognitive inequality among students. And he saw differences in schools as irrelevant in explaining differences in attainment among individuals” (pg.5). Clearly it says in the reading how some schools are not prepared to teach students. All schools need to have “equal education for all” which means giving all students the same equal education they deserve no matter what race or color they are. Every single student should have the opportunity to know about all the resources there are available in a public school because there are a lot more than people may think. In relation to equal education having the proper and same attention from the teacher is also part of it not only how they are being treated. I hope to make a difference about this issue when I have my own classroom because I know that the slightest difference does make a
As we prosper through time, inequality is slowly less evident. A lot of people don't realize that although things are improving with time, inequality is still prominent in our society. The people that are failing to realize that there still is inequality, are the fortunate ones. They rise well above the poverty line, and usually live relatively economically sound lives. They are the people who are supplied with our society's benefits.
Many people associate leadership with a specific job title or form of power within an organization. However, through personal experience, I have concluded that leadership can come in many forms and position as well as from multiple sources of roles and job titles both with and without power. Based on the definition of leadership, anyone can be considered a leader as long as they have the ability to influence people to achieve a particular result or goal which benefits the organization or group as a whole. Individuals with a secure sense of self and understanding, acceptance of diversity within an organization tend to be the strongest leaders that not only make others want to follow, but they also encourage other leaders to gravitate to their