Season 7 Episode #19 Equity vs. Equality: What's the Difference and Why It Matters

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The words equity and equality often get used interchangeably, but this linguistic mix-up isn't just semantic – it fundamentally shapes how we approach fairness in our schools, workplaces, and communities. Equality, while well-intentioned, gives everyone identical resources regardless of their starting point. This approach sounds fair until we examine its practical implications: giving every student the exact same worksheet ignores their different learning styles, language needs, and home support systems.

Equity, on the other hand, recognizes these different circumstances and allocates resources accordingly to achieve equal outcomes. It's about meeting people where they are – whether that means providing speech therapy for one student, internet access for another, or culturally relevant materials for a third. When we mistake equality for equity, we unintentionally perpetuate systems that leave marginalized groups behind. Standardized approaches that ignore historical barriers don't create true inclusion.

Ready to put equity into practice? Start with a thorough resource audit to identify who has access and who's being left out. Use concrete data rather than assumptions to guide your support strategies. Most importantly, center the voices of those most impacted by your decisions – if they aren't part of creating solutions, you're likely missing critical insights. Diversify your curriculum or training materials to ensure representation across cultures and experiences. Remember that equity isn't a destination but an ongoing practice requiring continuous learning and adjustment. If you're committed to moving beyond awareness into action, explore my mini-courses designed to provide step-by-step tools for implementing equity in your daily work as an educator or organizational leader. Visit www.jebedmonds.com to join my email list for free resources and updates that will support your equity journey.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever heard someone use the words equity and
equality like they mean thesame thing?
It's a common mix-up, butunderstanding the difference is
essential if we want to createreal change in our schools, our
communities and our workplaces.
Today, we're unpacking thesetwo powerful terms and why one
leads to transform, while theother can, unintentionally

(00:24):
maintain the status quo.
You're listening to CulturalCurriculum Chat Podcast, the
show where we unpack how tocreate more inclusive and
culturally responsive spaces,whether you're in the classroom,
the boardroom or leading fromthe community.
Let's start with equality.
Equality means giving everyonethe same resources,

(00:47):
opportunities or support, nomatter their background or
circumstances or starting point.
It sounds fair, right, buthere's the problem.
Equality assumes that everyonebegins on equal footing.
That's rarely the case.
Imagine giving every studentthe exact same worksheet without

(01:08):
considering their learningdifferences, language needs or
access to support at home.
That's equality, right, butit's not effective.
Or just Now let's look atequity what equity really means?
And equity recognizes thatpeople have different
circumstances and it allocatesthe resources and support needed

(01:32):
to reach an equal outcome.
So equity is about fairness andnot sameness.
Think of a classroom where onestudent needs a speech and
language pathologist, anotherneeds help getting internet
access.
And a third needs culturallyrelevant reading material.
Equity says let's meet themwhere they are.

(01:55):
Equity closes gaps thatequality overlooks when it comes
to getting the right access tohelp the needs of each of your
students.
Yeah, it could be morechallenging, but what is right
and just is doing just that.
When we mistake equality forequity, we can inadvertently

(02:18):
uphold systems of oppression,for example, in hiring practices
.
Treating every applicant thesame quote-unquote may ignore
historic and systemic barriersIn schools by standardizing.
Curriculum without culturalresponsiveness leaves our BIPOC
students disengaged andunderrepresented.

(02:39):
But when we embrace equity, webegin to shift those systems we
design with everyone in mind.
If this conversation isresonating with you and you want
more strategies and freeresources, make sure to join my
email list at wwwjebedmondscom.

(03:00):
You'll get updates on newepisodes, free downloads and
culturally responsive lessonplan ideas.
So that's wwwjebehedmundscom.
I have some tips for puttingequity into practice.
So let's talk application.

(03:23):
Whether you're an educator, ateam leader or an advocate, here
are a few ways to put equityinto action.
First things first, do aresource audit.
Who has access, who is left out?
Okay, there's always somethingmissing, there's always a
missing link, and I want you toaudit the resources that you

(03:44):
have and fill in what things youneed to reinstate, supplement
or even downright replace.
And the second thing I want youto think about is I want you to
use data to guide support.
Equity is informed by realneeds, not assumptions.
So get the data from your datacoaches in your buildings to

(04:10):
even a survey if you're workingin the organizations, and see
that data to see what is needingmore of our attention and
support.
And thirdly, I want you tolisten to the voices of those
most impacted.
If your solutions don't includethem, well, they're not
solutions, are they?
Next thing I want you to thinkabout is diversifying your

(04:32):
curriculum or your trainingmaterials.
Representation matters Eithergetting those sources from
people with their own livedexperiences that can help
gathering community voices tocome in and guide you, having
that outreach and engagementwith your community that you're
serving, and even still lookingto your curriculum specialists

(04:56):
and alerting them to let themknow why is this curriculum not
representative of all of mystudents?
Those are the things that youcan do right now and keep
learning.
Equity is practice.
It's not a destination.
You can't have somethingequitable in one arm of your
teaching practice but it's notin others.
So keep this equity going.

(05:19):
I've got a lot of ideas ofbuilding equity habits and
continuing that learning, and ifyou are ready to move beyond
awareness and into action, I'mgoing to invite you to enroll in
my mini courses.
These trainings are on demand.
They're less than two hours andthey give you step-by-step
tools to implement equity andcultural competency in your

(05:42):
daily work.
You don't need youradministrator to purchase this
course for you or your boss topurchase it.
This could be your own personaldevelopment course that comes
with a certificate of completionso you can show your
administrators and your bosseswhat you have been working on

(06:03):
for your own personal andprofessional development.
I'll even give you a preview ofour courses that we have on the
website Cultural CompetencyProfessional Lab.
This is great for businessleaders, hr professionals and
corporate teams.
We even have CulturalCompetency Education Lab for
K-12 educators, administratorsand higher ed faculty.

(06:25):
You're going to learn how tointegrate cultural competency
into curriculum and classroomenvironments.
It also ensures that allstudents will feel valued,
respected and empowered in theirlearning journey.
And don't forget, I even havemini courses as well on the
website.
That really gets you thinkingand sparking your ideas for your

(06:50):
work in equity.
We have the power ofperceptions for educators and it
helps you explore the impact ofyour own biases and perceptions
that have the impact on yourstudents in your classrooms.
You can even learn how to be aculturally competent classroom
leader from high school andbeyond.

(07:10):
That's for our students whowant to gain those authentic
tips for being a classroomleader and how to foster a
culture of leadership.
This will help you gaininsights into fostering a
culture of leadership withinyour own organization, and these
also have a bonus of one hourcoaching Zoom sessions after

(07:33):
you've taken the course, and Iwill be your guide in helping
you if you have any questionsthat are pressing after you've
taken the courses.
So you will find more of thatinformation on jebedmondscom.
That is, wwwjebedmondscom.

(07:56):
Equity isn't just a buzzword.
It's a mindset, aresponsibility and a powerful
shift in how we show up forothers.
Equality might look good onpaper, but equity changes lives.
Let's commit to learning,unlearning and leading with
purpose.
If you found today's episodevaluable, I'd love for you to

(08:19):
leave a review wherever youlisten to your podcasts.
I'd love for you to leave areview wherever you listen to
your podcast.
Your feedback helps me reachmore listeners and keeps these
important conversations going.
Thanks for tuning in to theCultural Curriculum Chat with
Jeba Edmonds and.
I will see you here next time.
Same place, same purpose tomake the world more inclusive,

(08:41):
one episode at a time.
Bye-bye.