Equity and Social Justice Institute

What is Social Justice and Why Does It Matter In Education?

Social Justice can be defined as challenging systems that perpetuate inequality or inequity in an effort to ensure greater opportunities and access to resources for all individuals in a society.

These sessions will help participants explore the meaning of Social Justice and examine how power and privilege play out in society and, more specifically, in education. Participants will have an opportunity to explore how their multiple identities related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, ability, etc. intersect in both their lives and the lives of their students.  Participants will be encouraged to examine the inequities that play out in schools and collaborate to find effective ways to create more equitable institutions that serve all students.

Participants will explore answers to questions such as: What is the difference between equality and equity?  What are the circumstances that create barriers for success in schools? What can we do to effectively challenge systems that create inequality or inequity?  How can we become more culturally responsive to serve an increasing diverse student population in the 21st Century?

This face-to-face training is followed-up by three Zoom videoconferencing meetings.