ERIC Number: EJ1018842
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jan-27
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1068-2341
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
It's Not Education by Zip Code Anymore--But What is It? Conceptions of Equity under the Common Core
Kornhaber, Mindy L.; Griffith, Kelly; Tyler, Alison
Education Policy Analysis Archives, v22 n4 Jan 2014
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a standards-based reform in which 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have agreed to participate. The reform seeks to anchor primary and secondary education across these states in one set of demanding, internationally benchmarked standards. Thereby, all students will be prepared for further learning and work in a competitive global economy regardless of the sociodemographic variation associated with their "zip code," that is, the location of their neighborhood or school. This article examines the role and meaning of equity within the Common Core at a level beyond "zip code." It does so using data from interviews with Common Core policy entrepreneurs and qualitative analysis of interview data. Findings are considered against a conceptual framework of equal, equalizing, and expansive views of equity. The findings indicate that policy entrepreneurs hold primarily an equal view of equity, in accord with meritocratic and functional purposes of schooling, more so than equalizing or expansive views. The latter views emphasize compensatory purposes that focus on narrowing achievement gaps. From this analysis, we identify the paradox of equity in education policy: The successful launch of a policy that relies on existing paradigms of standards-based reform and an equal conception of equity helps tether educational outcomes to student background.
Descriptors: Equal Education, School Location, State Standards, Academic Standards, Interviews, Achievement Gap, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Educational Change, Educational Policy, Semi Structured Interviews, Educational Opportunities
Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: http://epaa.asu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Brown v Board of Education; Civil Rights Act 1964 Title VI; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A