International Educational Equity

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EQUITY OVERVIEW
Planning and implementing a lesson on international educational equity not only impacted my classroom environment, but also my students' understanding of themselves. Students were empowered to be advocates of international educational equity. On weekday evenings and weekends, I work as the education lead at a non-profit called FOREFRONT. FOREFRONT’s mission is to enable every person, equip leaders, and establish self-sustaining communities through a four-phase approach: clean water / sanitation, education, medical care, and social justice. Before teaching this lesson, my students knew a little about my work with FOREFRONT, but I wanted to show them how they can be advocates of international educational equity too. I created an interactive lesson on international educational equity, in which students practiced advocacy through letter writing, inspirational drawings, and a social media campaign. 

Please scroll down or click on the table of contents below to learn more about how my students are advocates of international educational equity.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lesson Presentation
Letters to First-time Students
Educational Equity Word Art
Social Media Campaign
Letters to the Obama Foundation
Teacher Reflection

Lesson Presentation
In this lesson, students began with a do now, where they guessed how long it takes for children in rural India to get water, the percentage of children who go to elementary school, and the percentage of children who complete elementary school. This lesson occured during our probability unit, so I included many statistics, so that students saw the real-world application of statistics, and “reinforce their commitment to learning and the subject” (Fletcher, 2000). Next, students learned that villagers in Kolluru spend six hours everyday getting water. Students calculate the conditional probability of a girl in Kolluru finishing 10th grade, and found that the probability is 4.4%. Then, I shared the story of Priyanka, a girl who wants to become a political leader, but does not have access to school. Students then proposed solutions for clean water, sanitation, and education.

Next, students learned about FOREFRONT’s solutions for clean water, sanitation, and education. Students learned that “social responsibility-that is, a personal investment in the well-being of others and of the planet-doesn't just happen. It takes intention, attention, and time” (Shapiro, 2011). First, FOREFRONT held community forums and learned from the community that they thought that clean water and sanitation must be addressed first. Students and I discussed the importance of involving local communities in decision-making and sustainability.

FOREFRONT built 12 wells in Kolluru, which allowed for 20,000 to have access to clean water, taking trips of no more than five minutes. The wells have water quality monitoring devices that the local people can use to monitor for water safety. In addition, FOREFRONT launched several soap toy business to promote hand washing and provide sustainable careers for several local women. The clean water and sanitation phase improved health and also freed up time for the students to attend school, instead of fetching water.

At the next community forum, the local community asked FOREFRONT to build a primary school. I partnered with a local construction team and school staff to create a school that will provide an excellent, rigorous, standards-aligned education to students from all backgrounds in Kolluru. The school is set to launch with 80 first and second graders in July 2018. My students and I discussed the FOREFRONT school vision, culture, and academics, and compare the qualities of FOREFRONT school with our KIPP school. 

Letters to First-time Students
My students responded to the lesson presentation with heartfelt empathy, and wanted to encourage and share their love for learning with the kids in Kolluru. I asked my students to address their letters to students who will be going to school for the first time, due to the opening of FOREFRONT's school in Kolluru. I ended up collecting over 25 letters and drawings that my students volunteered to do after school. In their letters, students shared about why they thought educational equity was important and why they thought the child receiving the letter should go to school. Students reflected on the power and importance of learning, and how knowledge can lead to a better life. Below are samples of letters my students wrote, and pictures of children at an orphanage in Kolluru reading their letters.

​Educational Equity Word Art
My students also created educational equity word art for the future first-time students in Kolluru. Students picked an educational equity phrase that resonated with them and turned it into word art. Common themes in the word art included the importance of learning, making mistakes, reading, and dreaming. These drawings were given to the children of the orphanage in Kolluru, as they will have the opportunity to attend FOREFRONT's school in July 2018. On the first row below are images of my students with their drawings. On the second row are images of children at the orphanage in Kolluru receiving my students' drawings.

Social Media Campaign
My students created a collage of their letters and word art, and we submitted a photo to FOREFRONT for a social media campaign. Students also featured pictures of themselves with their letters and word art on their individual social media platforms. Collectively, we received hundreds of views and likes. Student advocacy of educational equity spread from our classroom, to their friends, to their friends' friends, and also to all subscribed to FOREFRONT's social media platforms.

Letters to the Obama Foundation
After returning from spring break in Kolluru, I shared pictures of my trip with my students. They were shocked by the poverty and educational inequity they saw, and determined to make a bigger difference. Students commented on their own relative privilege as high school educated teenagers, and asked questions about FOREFRONT's school construction process, funding for the Kolluru orphanage, and how they could pursue a career in a non-profit organization. For some of my students, our discussion sparked a desire to write to President Obama through the Obama Foundation. On their own time after school, some of my students chose to write letters to the Obama Foundation about international educational equity. Through their letters, students name their individual assets, share about their connection to Kolluru, and asked for the Obama Foundation's partnership in increasing international educational equity. Below are images of some student letters. To read each letter fully, please click on the thumbnails below.

Teacher Reflection
My students used their individual assets such as their own educational experience, letter-writing, social media posts, and inspirational drawings, to navigate and challenge inequity of international education opportunities. In this mini lesson, students first learned about the extent of poverty in Kolluru through several startling statistics and stories. They saw an exemplar of international educational equity through FOREFRONT’s projects in clean water / sanitation and education. All images in my presentation were taken by the FOREFRONT team, so with each image, students heard a personal story. 

My students became better advocates of educational equity by writing letters of encouragement to future students, creating inspirational education word art, launching a social media campaign to expand awareness, and writing to the Obama Foundation. My students “listen[ed] to [stories of] others with understanding and empathy”, and when they saw the extent of poverty in rural India, they were more grateful for the opportunities they currently have, and determined to make a difference in rural India (Costa & Kallick, 2000). My students know that their actions have value and impact. They have advocated for educational equity by increasing public and non-profit awareness, and encouraging other children to pursue education.
REFERENCES
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (2000). Describing 16 Habits of Mind. Retrieved from http://www.habitsofmin`d.org/sites/default/files/16HOM2.pdf
Fletcher, A. (2011). New roles for young people throughout society. Retrieved from http://treasure.over-blog.com/2015/12/new-roles-for-young-people-throughout-society.html 
Shapiro, A. (2011, July 23). Teaching social responsibility. Retrieved from http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-social-responsibility