How Equity Audits Reveal Harmful Education Policies – Podcast Episode 202 | Classnotes Podcast 202

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Classnotes Podcast (June 23, 2020). Equity audits are powerful tools to help school districts identify root causes of inequities that impact student success. These audits typically involve analyzing data in three key areas: programmatic equity, teaching quality equity, and achievement equity.

In this episode, Dr. Paula Johnson and Morgan Craven, J.D., talk about how IDRA EAC-South’s equity audits – or equity walks, as we call them – help districts and communities identify the greatest area of need & how to improve. They give examples of how educational policies impact equity, including school funding policies, policies that hinder teacher diversity, and policies that limit student access to higher-level courses.

Paula directs the IDRA EAC-South, and Morgan is IDRA’s national director of policy, advocacy and community engagement.

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Show length: 23:36

Resources

Using Equity Audits to Assess and Address Opportunity Gaps Across Education, by Paula N. Johnson, Ph.D.

Ensuring Equity in Online Learning – Considerations in Response to COVID-19’s Impact on Schooling

Equity Audits – Assessing Equity Across Education, IDRA Visiting Scholar Webinar Series

IDRA Six Goals of Educational Equity

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Show Notes

  • Morgan provides an overview of how educational policy impacts educational outcomes. She discusses the connections between policy, research, and practice, and the associated impact on school funding.

  • Referencing the IDRA Quality Schools Action Framework, Morgan and Paul explain why the public –teachers, students and families – need to be more actively included in the policymaking process.

  • Morgan considers the measures schools can take to diversify their hiring, training, and retaining practices.

  • Paula provides a definition of “highly qualified” teachers, and she and Morgan share tangible outcomes for public schools that meet that need.

  • Morgan and Paula address the equity challenges and widening opportunity gaps that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Paula talks about IDRA equity walks and how they can help school districts.