Equitable Participation Opportunities for Student on Field Trips

Equitable Participation Opportunities for Student on Field Trips

RETURN
edited 8/21/11

PROPOSAL:

Field trips are intended to enhance and support the educational program and therefore, should be equitably provided for all students by ensuring that district funds or parent organizations provide the total funding for all students for all field trips. School district field trip policies should address this inequity to ensure "equitable access, inclusion, and opportunity to learn."

BACKGROUND:

The aim of educational reform is to help all students achieve to the highest possible standards. Through the efforts of federal and state level initiatives, such as No Child Left Behind and Title I, it is evident that the message for educators is "all means all." Much attention and multiple resources have been given to comprehensive school reform. However, it is imperative to note that in order to tackle the goal of "all means all" (Scott, 1998), it is necessary to address the all-important principle of equity. Meaningful school reform can only be achieved through educational practice that adheres loyally to principles of equity. Addressing the principle of equity involves understanding the more complex concept of integration. This concept embraces not just the breadth of access (access to programs, opportunities, etc., for all students) but the depth of inclusion, the nature of involvement of all types of learners in all kinds of curricular offerings.

The goals of equity specifically define key concepts of equity and enumerate specific actions and opportunities that should occur within schools and classrooms so that the notion that all diverse learners must achieve to high standards becomes possible. According to Solis (2000), there are five prominent equity goals: 1) comparably high academic achievement and other student outcomes; 2) equitable access and inclusion; 3) equitable treatment; 4) equitable opportunity to learn; and 5) equitable resources.

The concept of educational equity must be the driving force to protect the rights of children in public schools. The five educational equity goals hold the most promise in ensuring that all children, including minority disadvantaged children, are included in efforts to assist all students to learn to the highest possible standards.

One area of questionable equity in public schools is the issue of field trips. Many districts have policies and/or guidelines for field trips. These documents generally contain the procedural aspects of field trips. For example, the use of parent consent forms, addressing medical needs of students, timelines, and chaperones are generally outlined as well as directives or suggestions for field trips to be connected to curricular topics. The manner is which field trips are funded is often omitted or the policy does not equitably address that "equitable access, inclusion, and opportunity to learn," is provided to all students. Field trips are often funded from school or district budgets or through parent organizations. However, there are many times that students are expected to pay for part of the trip through their own funds. While schools often claim to provide the funds for many students who are unable to pay for field trips, the reality is that this does not apply to all trips and requires the student to be in the vulnerable position of having to admit to a lack of funds. Educational equity speaks to the need to create quality, effective learning experiences and to provide access to those experiences for all students regardless of race, gender, national origin, or economic status.

TOULMIN'S MODEL

PROPOSAL:

EVIDENCE:

The current practice in many school districts is to provide unequal funding for field trips. Some field trips are fully funded while other trips require students to pay part or all of the expenses. This reality poses a hardship for many students who are provided with two choices: 1) do not partake of the field trip experience, or 2) ask school personnel for financial assistance if it is even available. The former choice leaves a student behind to remain in school with inferior instruction while the field trip is taking place, and the latter choice requires a student to repeatedly be in the position to ask for financial assistance which many students are reluctant to do.

WARRANT:

1. Meaningful school reform can only be achieved through educational practice that adheres loyally to principles of equity. Addressing the principle of equity involves understanding the more complex concept of integration.

2. The concept of educational equity must be the driving force to protect the rights of children in public schools. The five educational equity goals hold the most promise in ensuring that all children, including minority disadvantaged children, are included in efforts to assist all students to learn to the highest possible standards.

BACKING:

Field trips are meant to enhance and support the curriculum. If it is truly beneficial for students to engage in this additional learning experience, it is incumbent upon a school district to ensure that all students have equal access and inclusion through adequate school funding. When a student is deprived of this educational experience, this results in an inequity and a lesser educational program for those students. Students who cannot partake of the field trip experience a reduced educational program by the lack of the experience and the inferior educational program that replaces the trip.

COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS:

Party	Benefit Received	Kind of Benefit	Cost Suffered	Kind of Cost	Proximity	Probability
Low Income Students	Access and inclusion in all offered field trips	Divisible Absolute Substantial			Immediate Long term	High
Low Income Parents	Personal monies not required for field trips	Divisible Absolute Substantial			Immediate Long term	High
Average and Above Income Students	Access and inclusion in all offered field trips	Divisible Absolute Substantial	May not be able to have as many field trips offered as usual	Indivisible Positional Substantial	Immediate Long term	High
Average and Above Income Parents	Personal monies not required for field trips	Divisible Absolute Substantial	May want more field trip opportunities for their children	Indivisible Positional Substantial	Immediate Long term	High
School Districts	All students provided equal opportunities	Divisible Absolute Substantial	Will have to find funding for trips considered integral to instruction	Divisible Positional Substantial	Immediate Long term	High
Parent Organizations	Continue support of school field trips	Divisible Absolute Substantial	May be asked to do additional fundraising	Divisible Positional Substantial	Immediate Long term	High

CUE, CONTROL, CONCERN

CUE:

Field trips are intended to enhance and support the curriculum and as such, they should be equitably available to all students. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many school districts. Students are often confronted the situation of not being able to partake due to lack of personal funds or placed in a vulnerable position to ask for financial assistance.

CONCERN:

The aim of educational reform is to help all students achieve to the highest possible standards. " Much attention and multiple resources have been given to comprehensive school reform. Meaningful school reform can only be achieved through educational practice that adheres loyally to principles of equity. Addressing the principle of equity involves understanding the more complex concept of integration. This concept embraces not just the breadth of access (access to programs, opportunities, etc., for all students) but the depth of inclusion, the nature of involvement of all types of learners in all kinds of curricular offerings. My concern deals with the fact that students in many districts as well as my own district are often discriminated against due to the process for funding field trips. These students are often denied an educational experience because the students cannot afford the expenses of the trip or they are placed in the position to have to ask for financial assistance. If we truly are concerned with educational equity for all students, we need to address the fact that our current practices are not equitable.

CONTROL:

If school district field trip policy is written to address the equitable funding of field trips for all students, the additional educational experience will be equal for all students. While the number of field trips may have to be reduced due to cost factors, an amended policy would ensure that all students have equal access and inclusion in the educational program.

REFERENCES:

Clabaugh, Gary and Rozycki, Edward. (2003). Analyzing Controversy. Oreland, PA: New Foundations Press.

Hinman, Lawrence. (2003). Ethics: A pluralistic approach to moral theory (3^rd edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Learning.

Salisbury Township School District Board of Education. Policy No. 121. (Allentown, PA, May 2004).

Scott, B. "A Different Kind of Will: Educational Equity and the School Reform Movement." IDRA Newsletter (San Antonio, Texas: Intercultural Development Research Association, June -- July 1994).

Scott, B. "In Pursuit of Equity: An Idea Whose Time Has Come." IDRA Newsletter (San Antonio: Intercultural Development Research Association, September 1990).

Scott, B. "Make No Mistake -- The Goal is Equity." IDRA Newsletter (San Antonio: Intercultural Development Research Association, March 1998).

Solis, Adela. "Equi