Indicators of Equity in Education: Report of an Exploratory Conference Held on October 11-12, 1979

摘要

The Committee convened a conference to begin to examine the question of how discrimination and equity in education can be measured. Various concepts of equity and the applicability of models in identifying useful indicators were discussed. Participants agreed that it is easier to measure equality than to measure equity. The former appears to be a question of equal quantities or even equal qualities among groups, whereas equity involves the moral notion of fairness. Conceptual work should be the initial focus of effort in developing indicators of educational equity. The conferees agreed on the importance of the model approach, which forces the development of a conceptual and theoretical framework. It is important to identify the audience for indicators before developing a model. Participants strongly supported the need for research on social processes to guide the conceptualization of a framework for indicators of educational equity. The committee suggested several procedures that should be followed by agencies responsible for reports of education indicators and enumerated a number of new indicators that should be developed: Research on social forces outside the educational process; research on the educational process; and research on population subgroups.