Is equity always best? Educational stakeholders lash out

Abstract

Notes that increased legislation promoting educational equity, court decisions favouring inclusion of special education students, and pressure to compete in a global economy provide a forum for intense debate among educational stakeholders such as administrators, special education parents, and parents of gifted children. Proposes to identify their attitudes regarding: the effectiveness of schools in providing intellectually challenging environments for a diverse population and the barriers equity might create in educating today’s students to become tomorrow’s high level, creative thinkers in a democratic society. Explores the macropolitical aspects of state‐mandated inclusion and the micropolitical barriers one superintendent faced when trying to establish equity for all students in a hostile environment where parents of special education and gifted children joined forces to campaign actively against inclusion. This unusual bonding propelled the study from a traditional research design to one which more closely resembled action research. Describes the tension existing among diverse educational stakeholders who viewed equity differently. Provides recommendations for improving educational leadership training to include strategies dealing with issues like those encountered during this research.

Citation

Perry, E.A. (1997), "Is equity always best? Educational stakeholders lash out", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 35 No. 5, pp. 451-465. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578239710184592