Education Gaps vs Education Debts
a new teaching guide
As part of our fieldbuilding work, we’re creating a set of intellectual resources to help higher ed instructors teach important concepts and skills in the philosophy of education.
One of our main projects this year has been developing creative, engaging curriculum: podcasts1 and teaching guides.
Education Debts vs. Education Gaps
Our newest teaching guide is on how we think and talk about inequality and justice in education. Should we use the word "gap" or "debt"? Should we call it an "opportunity gap" instead of an "achievement gap"? How should we think about when to use which term? And why does it matter?
Readings:
“From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools” by Gloria Ladson-Billings (2006)
“Educational Justice: Closing Gaps or Paying Debts?” by Gina Schouten (2012)
“Why We Say ‘Opportunity Gap’ Instead of ‘Achievement Gap’” by Theresa Mooney (2018)
Activities include:
Engaging discussion questions
Approaching an academic text with clarity and rigor
Using conceptual analysis
Deeper inquiry geared at graduate students
As always, our curricular resources are freely available and adaptable to your classes. We’ve heard from people who use the guides start to finish, and from others who simply use it for inspiration, customizing discussion questions and activities to fit their particular classes. However you use these resources, we hope they’re useful to you.
(And if you do, and they are, let us know! We love hearing from you—and it helps us to know what’s working and what we should do more of.)
Planning your spring semester?
See our other teaching guides:
Happy winter,
CEE
coming January 2025: Trust and Higher Education