Does Integration Matter?

If someone had asked me a few months ago if I thought integration in schools matters to achieve educational equity, I would have said, "yes" without hesitation.  However, last weeks debate really opened my eyes to see the importance of funding and resources in schools as well.  While integration does matter, it can’t be the only aspect that goes into helping students thrive.  A combination of integration, funding, and resources would be ideal in achieving educational equity.  Integration offers students the ability to learn beyond their textbooks and set curriculum.  Having a diverse student body can provide a wide variety of opinions, cultures, backgrounds, stories, and life experiences, which can prove useful later in life.  These are some of the things that many schools seem to lack.   There is also a shortage of money in the education system, which can make it difficult to provide students with the support and resources they need to be successful.  Having a surplus of books, classroom supplies, teachers, space, extra curricular activities, and (in some cases) technology all go towards building students futures.  It’s essential that all students have these things in order to achieve education equity.