Questions from the Field: How does Claudia think about equitable learning environments?

One of my largest challenges is explaining what an equitable learning environment is. For decades, educators, including administrators, faculty, counselors, and support staff, have focused on the need for equal resources, highly qualified teachers, and meaningful student assessments. What we have not acknowledged is the multiple perspectives, values, experiences, and beliefs that students bring into the classroom. In a national report, Carolyn Parker[1] and I identified the elements of an equitable learning environment that provides an experience of empathy (or caring) for students in their classrooms.

According to our research, students who are exposed to and personally experience an equitable learning environment are more likely to enroll in rigorous and nontraditional courses, engage fully in their own learning experience, and persist to graduation. The conditions required for creating an equitable learning environment are normalize, empower, inclusion, and relevant (also referred to as NEIR (c) 2022). Because these are explained in detail on this site, I will highlight one chapter of my story to illustrate the challenges of educational inequity.

Recently, I was approached by a head hunter to apply for the position as Director of Faculty Diversity Initiatives at George Mason University. I was flattered and considered the opportunity, but then realized the position required a Ph.D. I do not have a Ph.D.  Everything else on my resume spoke to my competence, experience, and knowledge, but that credential was an immovable road block to my application. 

What the head hunter did not know was that in 1980 I entered a Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in industrial and labor relations. At that time, women were pushing hard against traditional boundaries about what they could or could not do in their careers and lives. I did not have role models or mentors, but I did have an undergraduate degree with honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, so academically I felt well prepared. What I was not prepared for was the sexual harassment and molestation I experienced. My husband (then my boyfriend at UW) received his Ph.D., but he never had to deal with gender bias and sexual harassment. His barriers were purely academic, and as a male, he had a family and community cheering him on, including me. I faced additional barriers and a lack of support, which I was simply unable to overcome. The resources, educators, and assessments may have been the same, but the environment was very different.

I have admittedly led a very privileged life.   While I struggled financially in my early years, I never suffered from entrenched poverty.  My father had a college degree.  I had a family support system, and I am a part of the dominant culture – white, European descent, and protestant.  What I learned from my time at the UW is that there is a lot more to student experiences than the curriculum, pedagogy, and resources.  Even when access is possible, other barriers may remain that are not visible unless someone is really looking.   

Ensuring that students experience a sense of welcome (inclusion), a program that aligns to their identity (normalcy), a belief in their own ability to create successful outcomes (empowerment), and a relevancy to their lives, is essential to learning. When students feel excluded, out-of-place, or powerless, personal vulnerabilities emerge around their self-identity, self-efficacy, and personal comfort, leading to a belief that no matter how capable they are, they are not “student material.” This belief then manifests in their disengagement from consideration of the program or field and a lack of interest in enrollment, study, and completion because they believe they “do not belong” or “are not welcome.”

By expanding the goals of providing all students with high quality resources and well-trained teachers to include the provision of an environment that serves the diverse needs of every student, I believe we can retain all students, improve their academic performance, and close the gaps in academic and interest outcomes. By embracing important indicators in caring for students, educators can understand fully their outcomes, such as why:  

• Different mentoring programs succeed or fail.

• Some role models have a substantial impact and others do not.

• Some schools have low performance outcomes among students of color (even in high-income communities).

• Some high-tech programs have large numbers of women and some remain male-dominated.

The framework outlined here provides extensive opportunities for multidisciplinary discussions, clarifying definitions, rigorous measurement, and extensive research. I plan to use this blog to explore this model from multiple perspectives and give a voice those who have yet to be heard.

Won’t you join me?

[1] Morrell C. & Parker C. “The Education Equation: A New Model for Improving STEM Workforce Outcomes through Academic Equity,” Congressional Briefing. http://www.napequity.org/solving-education-equation/, , September 25, 2015.