Equity in education: Levelling the playing field of learning - a practical guide for teachers

(Paperback)

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'Comprehensive and groundbreaking.' Dylan Wiliam

Equity in Education sets out a new equity-based approach in education to help teachers improve the prospects of under-resourced and working-class pupils.

The equity approach recognises that we must address our own cultural biases and barriers within the classroom, while helping to remove extra barriers to learning experienced by children outside schools. Based on thousands of research studies and years of working with expert teachers, the book sets out the principles and practical strategies for trainee teachers, teachers and teacher leaders.

Adopting an equity mindset involves four key principles:
equity not equality - doing more to overcome the extra barriers some learners experience
capacity not deficit thinking - recognising the talents in all pupils
deep not shallow relationships - developing authentic individual relationships with pupils
multiple not singular talents - acknowledging that human talents come in many forms.

Equity in Education also advocates the national policies that would enable teachers to prioritise an equitable approach and reduce divides between the education haves and have-nots.

Reviews

In the post-pandemic world, much has been written about the widening of the educational attainment gap. But nothing describes the current state of affairs quite as powerfully as this book.

In shining a light on persistent education inequalities, Lee Elliot Major and Emily Briant not only draw our attention to these stark divides, but crucially, they also show us a way forward. They present practical steps that teachers can take to make their own classrooms more equitable. And they offer school leaders a lens through which to make strategic decisions that could alter the life chances of children in their schools.

But they don't stop there. They also recognise that there is only so much any one teacher, or any one school, can do, because some barriers to learning require system-level change. For this, they present us with insights from around the world, and suggest policies we could adopt to make our education system more equitable.

* Heather Parker, curriculum design manager, Teach First *
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and found it truly inspiring. It is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking overview that examines disadvantage from multiple perspectives and gives practical advice and ideas to politicians, teachers and school leaders. It gave me real hope at the start of a new academic year that as a leader of a trust, we can find a way to make our education system more equitable and to transform life chances for all pupils. * Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust *
A highly informative call for change right across the system - this book is a must read for those in education who seek to make a difference. The link between home and school, community and society, is one that is essential for us to understand if we are to make the changes we seek and secure a more equitable route through learning for all children. Equity in Education leaves us with a clarion call for action. * Susie Weaver, education director and an executive principal at the Cabot Learning Federation *

This book has something for everyone, whether you are a teacher, school leader or policymaker. Equity in Education makes a powerful case for the impact that teachers can have with the right mindset.

Section 2 gives practical advice about how we can improve equity in the classroom, while section 3 has plenty of food for thought for busy school leaders to take on board and discuss, both within their schools and with other school leaders.

The key message is that as teachers we can all get better, however experienced we are.

* Richard Driscoll, academic deputy principal and teacher of sociology at Shenzhen College of International Education *
A stimulating and practical read, Equity in Education goes beyond the narrow focus on metacognition, pedagogy and curriculum to explore other things that also matter - culture, relationships and an asset-based approach to supporting every child. * Ed Vainker, CEO, Reach Foundation *

Author Bio

Lee Elliot Major (Author)
Lee Elliot Major is Britain's first professor of social mobility and is based at the University of Exeter. He was previously chief executive of the Sutton Trust. His work is dedicated to improving the education and life prospects of under-resourced children and young people. He is an award-winning author and was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen's Honours for services to social mobility. He is the first in his family to go to university.

Emily Briant (Author)
Emily Briant is an experienced teacher of human sciences in the South West of England and leader on sociocultural and economic disadvantage in school. She is a current doctoral student at the University of Exeter with a focus on exploring the causes and consequences of longstanding educational inequalities.