Toward the Bigger Half: Equity in Public Education

By Beth Godett

Toward the Bigger Half: Equity in Public Education explores what makes equity and schooling uncomfortable but necessary companions. Dr. Beth Godett theorizes about the goal of equity in public education and provides a vital window into history and the law. The term “equity” is demystified by introducing historical figures as if they were alive today.

Her book will make you angry, curious, and also hopeful. Challenging her readers to embrace opportunities, Dr. Godett details pragmatic ways that teachers (like herself) can make a difference in K-12 education.

Enjoy it in one sitting or break it into small bites; either way you will be eager to share new ideas with colleagues.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798889105046

Beth Godett

A K-12 educator, principal, and superintendent, perhaps Beth Godett’s favorite role has been that of public school teacher. Always a student herself, Dr. Godett earned a law degree after 35 years in the public schools of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. She is now an adjunct professor of education law and policy. Dr. Godett has contributed in many ways as an innovative educator. She has been honored as one of the “Women of Inspiration” in Education by the National Association of Women Business Owners; is the recipient of grants through the Carnegie Corporation and the American Society for Quality; and is the force behind business-education partnerships and transformative school initiatives. This is her first book with others now in development.

Book preview

About the Author

A K-12 educator, principal, and superintendent, perhaps Beth Godett’s favorite role has been that of public school teacher. Always a student herself, Dr. Godett earned a law degree after 35 years in the public schools of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. She is now an adjunct professor of education law and policy. Dr. Godett has contributed in many ways as an innovative educator. She has been honored as one of the Women of Inspiration in Education by the National Association of Women Business Owners; is the recipient of grants through the Carnegie Corporation and the American Society for Quality; and is the force behind business-education partnerships and transformative school initiatives. This is her first book with others now in development.

Dedication

To teachers—a consequential part of everyone’s story making a significant positive difference in life.

May my book bring affirmation and inspiration.

May you become a major resource and support for colleagues.

Copyright Information ©

Beth Godett 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Godett, Beth

Toward the Bigger Half

ISBN 9798889105039 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798889105046 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921391

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

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Acknowledgment

To my husband, Fred—You have always given me the space and encouragement to grow and to be myself without questioning what may sometimes appear to be madness!

To Art Shostak—In the 1980s, you first encouraged me to apply for a Carnegie Grant for High School Improvement to bring a Futures Fair to my district and motivated me to think about the future of public education leading me to my doctoral dissertation. Almost 40 years later, you continue to inspire my work! Your belief in my potential as a writer and your unrelenting support have been foundational in bringing this book to life. Everyone needs a push now and then. Thank you for doing that for me.

To Mike Davis—You have been and continue to be my sounding board and someone on whom I can rely to always ask the hard questions. That we can also speak openly about the delicate issues of race and discrimination has made me a better person and my work more valuable to others (especially my students).

To Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson—Never could I have imagined that a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans would so change my world! You are my connection to history and my catapult into a mission for the future.

To my son, Mike—I can always count on you to indulge my requests for feedback on my writing from the perspective of a respected fellow educator. I hope you know how much your support means to me.

To my son, Joel—You are more of a teacher than you will ever know and have been my cheerleader and my critic in the best of all possible ways. I look forward to your guidance as I take my work to others.

To Tom Welch—my fellow COVID-19 years collaborator. You help me focus on what can be.

To Jana Lee—Your feedback on my drafts has enabled me to see more clearly through your teacher’s eyes. I’m glad you’re having fun!

To the many who disseminated and completed my survey, listened to my ideas, and provided me with ideas of their own—enormous thanks.

And, to my parents, always part of my work in spirit and by example.

Abstract

Toward the Bigger Half: Equity in Public Education

An Introduction

This work explores the much-discussed topic of equity in public education. Equity can be elusive, and yet its influence is ever present. It is the bigger half in education—in contrast to equality, which is more of an even split with both sides receiving the same.

It is an enormous challenge to explain an idea that is apt to be seen through many different lenses. Such is the case with equity. Individual perspectives make it hard to define and almost harder to achieve! However, examining equity as a culture of justice can provide a more tangible process for articulating what it means and finding ways to bring it to the classroom.

Where and why equity is needed and for whom drive its definition and interpretation. The shift from in-person to virtual learning during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically illustrated how life affords each student unique resources and support systems—some more, some less, but all very dependent upon variables such as wealth, location, and family demographics. It also made clear that every public school and teacher, though facing similar challenges in providing a schooling experience, can encounter vastly different conditions under which to best connect with students and to prepare for doing so.

History and a reckoning of ongoing court cases and legislation show where equity and equality have been attained and where efforts to do so have failed. To think about the relationship between the two, I like to consider the words of a dear colleague who once said that something’s being equitable is a concession to its not being equal. True equality may, in fact, be an illusion, something courts have had the power to achieve but, perhaps, neither the conviction nor the perceived independence to do so.

To those intimately involved in education, the work of bringing equity into schools and classrooms invites consideration of what can be controlled and what cannot. Identifying and leveraging influence in small ways can make a difference in how equity is achieved or whether it is achieved at all.

I invite consideration of equity perhaps in ways not traditionally considered. With the addition of a nationwide survey, I have called upon educators to explore their vision of equity and to share how they have worked to make it a reality in their schools and classrooms.

Revisiting history will reveal that we have been here before. Doing so will help us clarify the need to move beyond the past and to use what we have learned to find more equitable educational opportunities going forward.

It is helpful to unpack the following questions:

What is equity?

What is equality?

What can we control?

What does equity look like in those places we have control?

How can we achieve it?

How can taking steps to implement it by creating a culture of justice foster greater understanding of ourselves and of one another?

Author’s Note

As a public-school teacher and administrator coming from a public school family business, I have long understood the importance of having a voice and truly listening to the voices of others. I was fortunate to have parents who supported and encouraged this in my upbringing, so transferring those beliefs and skills to my practice was somewhat second nature. Thus, my earliest and most significant learning experience with and about equity was that having a voice is an essential part of being recognized as one’s unique self. There is a learning opportunity to share here: helping children find their voice is one aspect of equity.

I will never forget the time when, as a high school sophomore, during the planning for a religious school confirmation ceremony, I felt an injustice was being done when a parent tried to exert influence inappropriately over the process. My dad suggested I call the parent, listen to her perspective, and express my concerns to her. Hearing the hesitation in my voice, he said not to worry, that he would be on the line with me during the conversation—those were the days before cell phones!

So I made the call. Midway into our conversation, I heard a click. As I was still speaking with the parent, it became clear that the click was my dad hanging up on his end. After my conversation with the parent ended, successfully, I might add, I asked my dad why he had hung up. You didn’t need me, he said. You were doing just fine on your own. This is yet another learning opportunity