Oliver Chernyk: Integration and educational equity

Does student integration in schools matter in order to ensure educational equity?

To be sure, this question is phrased differently than the one that shaped friday's discussion. And with this change of wording, also comes my (slight) change of argument.

I do think student integration matters. I do not think it is necessary.

In an ideal world, diversity would be omnipresent in schools. That, however, is not the reality. The reality is that our current public school system is both in shambles and segregated. But i do not think the latter is the cause of the former. Rather, the issue derives from the way in which public schools are funded and operated. Instead of focusing on the segregation that our school system no doubt displays, I believe we must primarily work towards resource equity in schools. All kids should have equal access to great teaching. All kids deserve a projector in the classroom. The sad reality is that only handful do. That must be our primary goal. We must give kids the tools to succeed in the classroom before we focus on who they shares the tools with.