Equity and Excellence in Education
On September 19, 2023 I attended the Henry Ford Learning Institute event titled “Equity in Education: Engaging youth to imagine a new future in Detroit.” The event was very future generation focused, directly responding to quotes from current students on what they want their academic experience to look/sound/feel like. The facilitators of the event gathered together a humble group of educators and students from various Detroit schools, all eager to collaborate and reimagine our shared experiences in the classroom. They provided the space, tools, and encouragement to nurture the curiosity of all in the room. Together and without judgment we discussed difficult questions with honesty, and we created an academic environment that might address the needs and desires of future generations.
Our first group challenge was discussing the title of the event: equity in education. Most of us thought we knew what the word ‘equity’ meant, however, in taking a moment to reflect on our daily practices, the term seemed less and less simple to define. As with many tough questions, the search for a clear answer only raised more questions— Who gets to decide what equity looks like? How can we provide equity with a lack of resources? Who is responsible for ensuring equity in education?— and no simple answers. What we found was a direct link between these questions and this one: who is responsible for ‘educating’ the next generation?
The answer to that last question was unanimous. We share a collective responsibility in the education of current and future generations. The weight of equity in education belongs to all of us because “learning permeates everything we do.” We want equity of voice with student-led innovation and not a one-sided conversation anymore. This answer was exciting for me, as a crew member of Detroit Prep, because it reflected our mission, “Detroit Prep exists to provide a world-class, equitable education that will give all students a foundation of academic excellence and character development while fostering a love of learning and passion for exploring and fulfilling their extraordinary potential as learners, leaders, and world-changers.”
After a rigorous discussion, students and educators worked together to build a model design of what we think school might look like in the future if we could manifest our hopes and dreams for a truly equitable academic environment. At Detroit Prep we like our students to take the lead in their education, and so we let the students tell us how we could support them in creating the school of their dreams. Our future school was truly student-led innovation! They imagined a space where their education could be more of an experience; a space where they could play an active role in attaining knowledge rather than passively intaking information. They took away the four wall structure wanting to bring nature into the classroom environment. They imagined a collaborative environment that provides opportunity for real world experiences, and applying classroom skills to an actual potential future career. We learned that our students are ready and excited for their chance to change the world.
