Introduction
The highest-performing education systems are the ones that consider Equity in knowledge delivery, resource allocation, and mode of examination. While reducing school failure has been a priority in many countries, little effort is put into supporting disadvantaged schools and students. Several students will miss quality education due to the high-level economic recession and poor policy-making in the education sector. This literature review explores education equity in access to quality resources and its impacts on academic achievements and student development. Equity in education is as significant as any other stakeholder, as it defines who accesses resources, how, when, and why they access them; it also affects how students perform in class and impacts their personal development. Researchers agree that Equity creates a level playing ground for all children and considers those who need it most. This short paper presents literature on educational Equity, access to resources, educational Equity and academic achievements, and the impacts of educational Equity on student development.
Literature review
Educational Equity
According to (OECD, 2012), Equity in education means that personal or social circumstances, such as gender, ethnic origin, or family background, are not barriers to attaining educational potential and that all individuals reach a bare minimum level of skills. The OECD report defines educational Equity in two ways: fairness and inclusion. Inclusiveness translates to every student attaining the bare minimum level of education, and fairness implies no discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, background, or even nationality. (Levinson & Geron, 2012) Views educational Equity as everyone reaching equal outcomes, opportunities, and resources. Equity in education does not mean that all students achieve equal outcomes, but it means that students’ performance is unrelated to their background, race, gender, socioeconomic and even nationalities (OECD, 2012). Educational inequality slows economic growth as a recession does; a person who still needs to get the required education finds it hard to reach optimal performance (Amadeo, 2021). Equity in education should not be misunderstood as equality, which means equivalent resources to all learners.
Access to quality resources
Access to quality resources is essential in exploring Equity in education; it explains factors to consider in resource allocation, the challenges, and the policy-making process and practices that may influence how education equity affects access to resources. (Western Governors University, 2021) some of the factors to consider in identifying underserved students are minority ethnic groups, low-income families, first-generation students, students who have parents who did not go to school, and students with disabilities. Considering these factors makes it possible for students to access resources as per their needs. Similarly, the government plays a critical role in ensuring there is Equity in access to quality educational resources and, according to (Walker, 2019), access is more than an individual project; it is shaped both by objective and subjective conditions, which can be social, economic and government’s role in enhancing social mobility, because access is more than a formal opportunity to go school. (Wanti et al., 2022) Find four factors affecting access to education: the government’s policies to support disadvantaged students, programs to support confidence and academic skills, education systems, and the number of educational institutions.
Education is a fundamental human right and foundation For a just society (Wanti et al., 2022) demands that the government ensure proper infrastructure in all schools, fair enrollment policies, fair staff allocation, effective regulative measures, financial aid for needy students, and a culturally responsive education system. Educational Equity goes beyond availing a formal opportunity to go to school and ensures all students access to all they need.
Educational Equity and Achievement Gap
Equity in education influences academic achievement, how far the student goes in academics, and their career pursuit in the future. The achievement gap is the difference in students’ performance, and according to researchers, it results from disparities among students. (Milner, 2010) observed that the achievement gap does not exist in reality, but what exists are teacher quality gaps, teacher training gaps, challenging curriculum gaps, infrastructure gaps, nutrition and health gaps, and school funding gaps; the researcher suggests that addressing these issues will reduce the achievement gaps.
The achievement gap in the American education system has framed white students as superior to African American students and other races, and according to (1999), other students are often compared with them. (Kamm, 2018), on closing the achievement gap, suggests educational Equity in addressing imbalance funding and institutional racism and expanding the State’s definition of education; this is because African American students tend to start their preschool late, and therefore, the government should fund the first years of education since they influence how students perform later, (Kamm, 2018, p. 2). The role of educational Equity in addressing the achievement gap cannot be overlooked, and it ensures that every student has what they need regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and location.
Much research has been and is being done on reducing the score credit gap, but responses like those ( Milner, 2010) seem to be the standard suggestion that does not help solve the problem; this is because the effects of recession and unemployment leave African American students disadvantaged even before entering the school door, (Growe & Montgomery, 2003). (James et al., 2001) finds that family involvement, individualized support, extended learning time for students with special needs, government financial support, and improved program quality help attain educational Equity, hence reducing the achievement gap.
Impacts of educational Equity on student development
Educational Equity goes beyond academic achievement, resource allocation, staff quality, and program and affects how students develop in and outside school. Social mobility and socioeconomic factors have determined who enrolls in higher education institutions. Access to higher education is defined by (Wanti et al., 2022) as the ability to register and pay the initial fee. , students who are likely to suffer exclusion in higher education, according to (World Bank, 2014), are those of low socioeconomic status, which intersects with other discriminative like race, geographical location, rurality, ethnicity, and gender. Therefore, there is more need for education equity, especially when the student is transitioning from one level of education to another. Research (Thomas, 2013) showed that students from disadvantaged backgrounds struggled with the transition. An effective transition should be a pre-entry intervention that provides information, knowledge, and skills for higher education retention and should help develop expectations and academic preparedness to enhance higher education success. Most students feel unprepared, so they withdraw from higher learning institutions (Terriquez, 2014) and achieving education equity in transition and higher education success will determine to what extent a student is developed regarding career progress, civilizations, and personal branding. When students get access to all they need in education, they can reach their maximum potential and achieve their calls.
Conclusion
Education is a right and a vital chance for every human being, as it holds the key to a better life for millions of individuals worldwide, a life of less poverty, improved health care, economic growth, and civilization (Bonnet et al., 2015). From the literature review presented above, it was found that exploring education equity in access to quality resources and its impacts on academic achievement is a subject that has been discussed for years. All the works discussed showed that, though not very loud, achievement gaps and student development are determined by educational Equity, where most of the researchers agreed with (OECD, 2012) that personal circumstances, race, gender, ethnicity, and location should not be barriers to quality education. It is also evident from the works reviewed that the government plays a critical role in education equity by ensuring quality staffing, proper infrastructure, supportive education policies, favorable enrollment policies, and eliminating financial barriers. The review also revealed that while many think education is the fair equalizer in America, there are still many challenges affecting it and calls for all educational stakeholders to address them. It is also essential for the education leadership team( government, teachers, students ) to create a suitable school environment, provide an effective learning environment for teachers and students, and establish a collaborative relationship with families and community (Bryant & Houston, 2002).
The literature review has presented an exploration of education equity in access to quality resources and its impact on student development and academic achievement; it has defined educational equity, considered factors that affect access to quality resources, the role of government in ensuring education equity and has ended by a brief discussion of education equity and transition in higher education and how to make it more effective and inclusive. While these literature works seem to address most factors relating to education equity, they all failed to address the digital divide. The digital divide is a research gap that needs to be addressed. Access to technology and online learning platforms is now dividing American students, those who have it and those who do not; this was more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another research gap is mental health and wellbeing. Mental health has become a problem in low-income families, conflicting families and rural areas, and addressing it will result in long-term education equity.
References
Amadeo, K. (2021, May 9). What Is Educational Equity, and Why Does It Matter? (Charles Potters, Ed.). The Balance. https://www.thebalancemoney.com/equity-in-education-4164737
Bonnet, G., United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef, & Wils, A. (2015). The Investment Case for Education and Equity. Unicef. 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, 7. Tel: 212-326-; Fax: 212-887-; Web Site: Http://Www.Unicef.org/Education -01-00.
Bryant, A. L., & Houston, P. D. (2002). It Takes a Team To Raise Student Achievement. The School Administrator, 59(7), 40.
Donna Walker James, Jurich, Sonia, & Estes, S. (2001). Raising Minority Academic Achievement.
Foster, M. (1999). Race, Class, and Gender in Education Research: Surveying the Political Terrain. Educational Policy, 13(1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904899131007
Growe, R., & Montgomery, P. S. (2003). Educational Equity in America: Is Education the Great Equalizer? The Professional Educator, 25(2), 23–29.
Kamm, C. (2018). Equity and Opportunity: Closing the Achievement Gap. Kamm Solutions, 1–28. https://www.capss.org/uploaded/2014_Redesign/Leadership_Development/Student-Centered_Learning_NEWSLETTERS/44_june_2018/Kamm-Solutions_Equity-and-Opportunity_Closing-the-Achievement-Gap.pdf
Levinson, M., & Geron, T. (2012). Conceptions of Educational Equity. Sage, 8, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221121344
Milner, H. R. (2010). Culture, Curriculum, and Identity in Education. Culture, Curriculum, and Identity in Education, 978-1-349-38386-3, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230105669_1
OECD. (2012). Equity and Quality in Education Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264130852-en
Terriquez, V. (2014). Dreams Delayed: Barriers to Degree Completion among Undocumented Community College Students. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(8), 1302–1323. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183x.2014.968534
Thomas, L. (2013). What works? Facilitating an effective transition into higher education. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 14(1), 4–24. https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.14.s.4
Walker, M. (2019). The Achievement of University Access: Conversion Factors, Capabilities and Choices. Social Inclusion, 7(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1615
Wanti, M., Wesselink, R., Biemans, H., & Brok, P. den. (2022). Determining factors of access and Equity in higher education: A systematic review. Equity in Education & Society, 1(2), 275264612210924. https://doi.org/10.1177/27526461221092429
Western Governors University. (2021, July 8). An Overview of Equity in Education. Western Governors University. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/overview-equity-education2107.html#close
World Bank. (2014). Policy Brief. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/420711468049838762/pdf/892210BRI00P120er0Education0May2014.pdf
write