On June 10, School Business Officials gathered for ASBO International’s second Roundtable: Equity in Education from a Global Perspective.
The global topic of inequity in education has been drawn to the forefront of school business professionals’ minds through the events of COVID-19. The ongoing pandemic has further exacerbated existing issues.
International leaders in the field shared similar struggles they are facing when it comes to providing equitable education during the pandemic.
- Difficulty providing e-learning equipment to all students.
- Issues with providing a reliable network connection in all areas where students live.
- Challenges with transporting meals and feeding students who would normally rely on school provided meals.
- Dealing with the inequity of federal aid going to private academies and not reaching the students most in need.
After identifying issues of inequity during the pandemic, the conversation turned to preexisting issues of inequity and what steps can be taken moving forward to provide for underrepresented students.
- Reimagine core values. Create a graduate portrait—a clear and ambitious picture of what the community wants our students to know, be, and be able to do, to prepare them to thrive.
- Increase support for students of color to participate in leadership opportunities.
- Provide students increased social, emotional, and mental health supports.
- Make hard copy and online resources for different age groups of students available in different languages.
- Diversify and support talent through recruitment, retention, and employee social emotional learning.
- Implement translation support to communicate important updates and to aid in online learning.
The Equity in Education Roundtable launched a discussion that must continue worldwide to best serve traditionally underrepresented students in every school system.
The virtual Roundtables are a space for school business professionals to openly discuss issues they are facing in their home districts and craft solutions with their peers from around the world—with representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.
For access to ASBO International’s full lineup of upcoming webinars and Roundtables, visit our website here.