Doing ‘The Work’: Standing in the Gap for Educational Equity

When we think about the roots of inequity and the roots of exclusion, it often comes back to education. It comes back to the fact that we are not all starting on a level playing field. As The Winters Group Principal Strategist Valda Valbrun points out in her powerful post on education equity, we need to close the opportunity gaps in our educational system if we ever want to begin closing “achievement gaps” and wealth gaps. It starts with recognizing that disparities often stem from zip codes, grow with continual lack of access to resources, and are maintained by the myth of meritocracy. Closing those gaps often requires that we stand in the gaps.

At The Winters Group, we know that the onus is on us, those who care about equity, inclusion, and more simply about the next generation, to stand in those opportunity gaps and to educate and eradicate the myth of meritocracy so as not to contribute to the status quo. We know that it’s on us to support people working to pull up the roots of inequity. These gaps, and the myths and biases that maintain them, are the roots. That’s why we chose to include organizations in our 2018 Live Inclusively® Actualized Grant Cycle who are doing this work in innovative and compassionate ways.

Meet The Be Org, The GEMS Camp, and Improving Education. These organizations are standing in the gap. This is how they do it:

The Be Org

The Be Org (Be.) is a youth development nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The organization’s mission is to encourage and nurture youth to live above their socially-imposed limitations; to develop their character, talents, and leadership skills allowing them to go beyond a dream and achieve remarkable excellence. By increasing exposure to various career opportunities, cultural experiences, promoting higher education at earlier ages, and engaging in leadership skills development, youth will set and aspire to achieve their dream career goals, focus on long-term planning, and be better equipped to withstand negative societal influences that would otherwise inhibit their progress.

The Be Org’s Summer of Exploration summer program is an exploratory learning concept, to allow program participants the opportunity to explore and learn about life outside of their normal environment and typical daily activities. They are given the opportunity to investigate new material with the purpose of discovering relationships between existing background knowledge and unfamiliar content and concepts. Often times, we find that youth from economically disadvantaged areas are not afforded the opportunity to even travel 10 miles outside of their community, outside of Baltimore City, or to even learn about careers other than what they typically see of their family and friends. The summer program seeks to expand their horizons of knowledge and allow them to have new experiences, opportunities for learning, all the while providing educational enrichment, leadership development, recreational activity, and fun.

The GEMS Camp

Founded in June 2010, The GEMS Camp (Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science) is a student-focused nonprofit that emphasizes broadening the participation of underrepresented minority and underserved girls in STEM in the North Texas region. Unlike most traditional STEM programs that focus solely on hands-on STEM learning activities, The GEMS 5 Karat Curriculum takes a holistic approach to effective STEM education in response to the unique set of family and community factors that can distract them away from their studies and aspirations.

The mission of The GEMS Camp is to build confidence in urban teen girls in grades 7-12 through five core areas called the 5 Karat Gems – Academics, Career, Creativity, Leadership, and Service – so that they will be successful in STEM studies and careers.

To date, The GEMS Camp has served roughly 300 girls, exposing them to more than twenty North Texas female STEM professionals representing major corporations and organizations such as IBM, Atmos Energy, Frito Lay/PepsiCo, Mary Kay, Inc., Hilti, Texas Instruments, HKS Architects and more. In 2018, eight girls (ages 16 and older) spent two weeks of cultural immersion and STEM learning in the program’s first Global STEM Travel Experience to Italy.

Improving Education: Bedtime in a Box

At Improving Education, we believe that literacy is the foundation of all learning. The most fundamental goal of early education is to become a proficient reader, and we are committed to improving early literacy for all children. Bedtime in a Box, one of our programs, is a creative but simple solution that supports the health and educational development of children prior to entering school by providing families with the materials, tools, and training they need to enact a comprehensive bedtime routine, seven days a week, created to strengthen early literacy and support the link between home and school for the whole family. Bedtime in a Box has been highly successful in improving early indicators of success for children.  During our initial two years of work, we’ve seen the number of minutes spent reading at home per week triple. We’ve also seen the number of families implementing a consistent bedtime routine nearly double.

Each Box contains five age appropriate books; bath wash, a towel, and bath toys; a toothbrush, and toothpaste; age-specific pajamas; a stuffed animal; an alarm clock; a TeachMy  Educational Kit; and a kid-friendly reading log. Together, these items encourage parents and caregivers to participate in a nightly routine that goes beyond just reading. Every Box not only prepares children for school, but also builds connections between adult and child, promoting healthy early social and emotional development and regular sleeping habits.

As you think about your own inclusion journey, consider the ways that you can better recognize the opportunity gaps around you and stand in those gaps. Bridge them. We all have the power to do so. Sometimes that means supporting the experts, like those at these three organizations. Sometimes that means educating within your sphere of influence to eradicate the myth of meritocracy. Sometimes that means being willing to listen and learn. Wherever you are on that journey, it’s time to do ‘the work’ and #LiveInclusively.