Chapter 1: Educational Equity and Reform: Have We Achieved Our Goals?

Reform is a staple of our public schools. The later half of the 20th century saw an array of reforms designed to improve the educational system and achieve other, often ideological, goals. Equity is often a stated aim of these reforms, but how equity is defined and the goals that policy aim to achieve in the name of equity has evolved. This chapter examines that evolution while making the argument that if schools are to improve, it will be necessary to focus more than is often the case on improving those within school policies and practices that are particularly relevant to facilitating the learning of racially and ethnically diverse students.