The assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
� Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides;
citations and references must follow APA format.
� Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student�s name, the professor�s
name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the
required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
� Identify a research topic and describe why it can and should be studied.
� Determine the appropriateness of peer-reviewed literature to support research topics.
� Use technology and information resources to research issues related to educational research
methods.
� Use quantitative and / or qualitative approaches to create research topics.
� Analyze research methodologies that support specific research topics.
� Describe ethical considerations in the research process.
� Evaluate components of a research proposal.
� Write clearly and concisely about educational research methods using proper writing mechanics.
The Scavenger Hunt
Introduction
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Equity in the manner in which education systems are being dispensed in the United States
remains one of the basic tenets within the education sector that has been made but the civic rights
legislation. However, it is essential to note that legislation does not provide that all the students
will have access and equity that is required in the taking of full advantage of the opportunities
provided in educating all the students (Bragg, & Durham, 2012). It is therefore essential to note
that in the academic arena, access is determined as enrolling a larger population within an
institution who has the urge to get education while equity requires the element of creating
opportunities to all the citizens. This paper therefore seeks to determine the element of access
and equity as referred to in the U.S public education.
Literature Review
Access and Equity in U.S Public Education
According to Warren (2014), the greater and inclusive participation in public education
remains an issue that needs to go beyond the elements of social justice. In this globalized society,
the author tends to believe that the economic success of the U.S highly depends on its ability to
manage the varied amounts of knowledge with the aim of developing human capital. This is
therefore the place where the nation’s economic prosperity results; thus making the access and
equity to public education a national priority.
Apparently, most nations have made success in the enrolment of a larger percentage that
is comprised of the traditional cohort age, a factor that clearly excludes all the segments of the
population. According to Bragg, & Durham (2012), the element of equity fails to occur naturally
from the access to education, a factor that determines the need to newer interventions in
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addressing the factors that creates a clear demarcation of the people who enroll and persist
through until graduation (p.107).
It is however essential to determine that the U.S government and other educational
entities and institutions are finding approaches of addressing that challenges that have majorly
resulted from the process of recruitment, selection, and support of students from a wider
spectrum within the age cohort especially by putting emphasis on the students from the under-
represented groups (Gilbert, & Heller, 2013). The growing diversity in education has therefore
forced many learning institutions to face the challenges with the aim of ensuring that most of the
new students are persistent in the completion of their programs.
On the other hand, Lubienski (2013) alleges that every society faces challenges with
inequalities in education, a factor that stands out as a result of the social, historical, and
economic factors. According to this author, in order to actually demonstrate the access and a
widened secured equity within an environment, it is necessary to have a clear understanding both
the demographics and cultures of the education systems and the society. This clearly points out
to the fact that there are few if any universal solutions in this case. The element of equity has
therefore raised several questions in relation to the interface of the institutions of learning and the
society that surrounds them with this clearly depicting the fact that what is universal remains in
the solving of complex challenges that are embedded in the conditions that find deeper roots in
culture and history.
Purpose of the research
Considering the fact that most nations have succeeded in the enrolment of larger
populations of students that are comprised of the traditional cohort age, it is essential to point out
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to the fact that this clearly excludes all the segments of the population. This factor therefore leads
to the primary aim of this study remains in determining the manner in which access and equity
U.S public education can be initiated within learning institutions.
Problem statement
It is essential to determine the fact that increased enrolments within public institutions in
the U.S has does not include all the sectors of the population in an equal manner. This therefore
indicates the fact that the country needs to introduce approaches that are geared towards
encouraging the underrepresented groups within the society to enroll within institutions of
learning.
Several literatures have over the past been directed towards determining the major
challenges that are related to the access and equity of public education in the United States of
America. However, their primary objectives were pegged on determining the factors that result
in inequity in the access to public education. This therefore draws the gap between this study,
which aims to establish the manner in which access and equity to public education can be
initiated, and the rationale behind this factor.
Research Questions
- How can public education be expanded to meet all the segments of the society?
- What are the substantial elements that need to be incorporated to ensure that this
expansion captures all the under-represented segments of the society?
This study is therefore based in determining the element of access and equity within the
US public education in different institutions of learning. The research therefore involves a
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qualitative method that is directed towards obtaining the research data. Data is therefore
collected within three different institutions; Spring Hill College, Stillman College, and Talladega
College both in the state of Alabama in the United States of America.
Findings of the Research
It is imperative to note that the data collected clearly depict the manner in which huge
enrolments in the institutions of learning fail to capture the element of equity and access to
public education in the three institutions of learning. Due to this factor, there is a need to
therefore develop approaches of incorporating the under-represented groups who fail to access
public education in the US (Gilbert, & Heller, 2013). This requires institutions to ensure that
appropriate approaches and resources are put in place to develop programs that allow such
groups to undertake education.
Conclusion
Equity in the manner in which education systems are being dispensed in the United States
remains one of the basic tenets within the education sector that has been made but the civic rights
legislation. It is therefore important to note that the greater and inclusive participation in public
education remains an issue that needs to go beyond the elements of social justice. In this
globalized society, the author tends to believe that the economic success of the U.S highly
depends on its ability to manage the varied amounts of knowledge with the aim of developing
human capital.
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References
Bragg, D. D., & Durham, B. (2012). Perspectives on Access and Equity in the Era of
(Community) College Completion. Community College Review, 40(2), 106-125.
Lubienski, C. (2013). Privatizing form or function? Equity, outcomes and influence in American
charter schools. Oxford Review of Education, 39(4), 498-513.
Gilbert, C. K., & Heller, D. E. (2013). Access, Equity, and Community Colleges: The Truman
Commission and Federal Higher Education Policy from 1947 to 2011. Journal of Higher
Education, 84(3), 417-443.
Warren, M. R. (2014). Transforming Public Education: The Need for an Educational Justice
Movement. New England Journal of Public Policy, 26(1), 1-16.
