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Strategic Equity Framework_Draft (Click to Download)
WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?1 HOW WILL IT BE ACHIEVED?
Justice is the concept of fairness. Social justice is fairness as it manifests. Thus, at its core, social justice is about the fair distribution of opportunities and privileges as they apply to individuals within a society.
Social justice in education takes two forms. The first form is about distributing resources fairly, and treating all students equitably, so that every student within the system is achieving at their highest level. Social justice, in this case, is achieved when the district has broken the predictive link between student identity and their outcomes. Simply stated, when your zip code, and positionality relative to the Interstate-20, no longer determines your educational outcomes.
When demography is no longer destiny for our children!
The second form of social justice is in how and what students are taught within our schools. When focusing on social justice in education, the curriculum is specifically chosen to broaden students’ worldviews through incorporating different ideas and challenging opinions. Instead of ignoring real-world issues such as sexism, racism, poverty, etc., social justice addresses it and encourages students to exercise analytical and critical thinking skills. Commitment to social justice requires that we pay close attention to our choice of curriculum and how it can be used to expand our students’ minds. Social justice also requires that all students have access and
a voice in the curriculum through mitigation against race, class, ability, language, gender, and other boundaries that often hinders access to the curriculum. Social justice, then, is achieved when all of our students are able to develop a healthy socio-political consciousness, sense of agency, and a positive social and cultural identity through engagement with our curriculum.
The only way to achieve social justice in education is through focusing intentionally and consistently on equity, and ensuring that equity is at the forefront of our decision-making processes.