Equity vs satisfying parent requests

Most schools bend over backwards to respond to direct parent requests reasonably, but in doing so may be exposing themselves of supporting inequitable treatment...

Ed.Net Briefs for 4 December 2000 reported that a Californian audit of extra time given to compensate for learning disabilities in the important SAT college entrance exam found that a disproportionate share of white students were getting extra time compared to less-affluent minority students with learning disabilities. They also found that students at private schools received special accommodations at a far higher rate that public schools.

A system wide conspiracy? Not likely. Much more likely is simply that some parent groups are more likely to seek use of compensation measures that are available. These are likely to be the professional and often affluent parents who are both more interested in their children's educational opportunities and more likely to be able to understand and then negotiate the bureaucratic procedures needed to seek the compensation arrangements. Students in such families are more likely to have had learning disabilities identified in the first place.

Where does this leave a school, particularly a private school, which is dedicated in part to responding to interested parents who seek the best for their child?

The appropriate, but not easy, response is for the school to take the initiative and be seen to be doing so - and not to wait for parental requests. The school needs to systematically identify the specific needs of its students, using demonstrably fair methods, and to put in place the appropriate compensation or other provisions to meet these needs.

While parental input will always be valuable in understanding these needs, the school should be able to demonstrate its equitable approach to this identification and subsequent provisions across the entire student body. The school should often be providing the information to the family.

Last updated:16/5/07

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