Educational Equity and Potential Interventions for Primary Schools

Project by Polygence alum Evelyn

Educational Equity and Potential Interventions for Primary Schools

Project's result

This paper has compiled a list of possible interventions that are commonly mentioned in education equity literature and examined both the benefits and drawbacks of each intervention, including teacher pay, tutoring, classroom size reduction, and equity funding. It suggests that out of the lineup, equity funding is the optimal solution as it addresses the root cause of the problem.

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Summary

Inequity in education as a result of improper funding has a negative effect on disadvantaged students’ futures. Education equity is when schools and local and state governments provide resources unique to each individual to ensure everyone receives what they need to thrive in a learning environment. Preliminary research shows that schools in low-income communities aren’t receiving enough funding, which is often because property taxes are a large factor in quality of education. Due to lack of funding, many disadvantaged students fall behind at a young age. It is then very difficult to make up for the learning loss. It’s crucial to research interventions that target inequity in education because there is evidence of widening socioeconomic gaps in achievement as children get older. I examine different possible interventions, weigh the advantages and disadvantages, and determine whether it is a suitable action plan for governments. In this paper, I discuss increasing teacher pay, providing additional tutoring services, classroom size reduction, and equity funding, with level of intervention in mind. I found that although equity funding is uncommon, it does the best job of addressing the root cause: funding. I recognize the potential counterarguments but underscore the importance of equity funding because it addresses the root problem of inequity in education. The data compiled can be used to propose policies that advocate equity funding. I then propose ideas for future research and future legislation — ways that my findings can be used or taken as inspiration to expand the diversity of educational equity literature or can influence the legislation of certain interventions.

Sam

Sam

Polygence mentor

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate

Subjects

Social Science

Expertise

Ethics and Public Policy; Political Theory; American Politics; Law

Evelyn

Evelyn

Student

School

Palo Alto High School

Graduation Year

2024

Project review

“I was expecting a mentor that would help me through the process of a writing a research paper and since I didn't know much about the technicalities of a research paper or even how to technically write one, I was hoping that my mentor would be able to guide me through that step-by-step and Sam was amazing! She was always patient with me and answered all the questions that I had, even if they seemed silly or simple.”

About my mentor

“As I mentioned before, she was super outgoing and supportive but would also nicely correct me if I was incorrect about something. She was really engaging during our meetings and I liked how she would simplify concepts using funny metaphors.”