Meditations on Fairness and Equity

Probably every parent has had the experience of a child saying, "That's not fair!" while alluding to why you let Jane watch an extra hour of t.v., or why the coach let Joey's friend Mark play 4 innings in baseball and Joey only played 3 innings. But maybe Jane volunteered to rake the neighbor's lawn. Maybe Mark hasn't missed any practices. Or maybe there was no rationale for it.

Probably every teacher has had the experience of having to decide when one student should get "special treatment" when it is denied to another student (for example, giving permission to turn in a paper late to one student and not another). In grading--who really deserves the A? A student who has never been able to write more than two sentences, and suddenly writes three paragraphs in ninth grade, even though most students can write three pages? The student who tries something she has never done before, and fails at it, because she refused to take the safe route? The student who takes the safe route and does exactly what is requested but doesn't challenge himself? What is fair? What is equitable?

We can transfer these same questions to funding. What is fair and equitable to students may not be fair and equitable to taxpayers. What is fair may not be equitable, and what is equitable might not be fair.

Is it fair that kids in Traverse City have a much lower per-pupil allocation than kids in Ann Arbor?
Is it equitable that kids in Traverse City have a much lower per-pupil allocation than kids in Ann Arbor?

Is it fair that the majority of taxes raised for schools in the Ann Arbor School District get sent out of the district?
Is it equitable that the majority of taxes raised for schools in the Ann Arbor School District get sent out of the district?

Is it fair that each district can't choose to raise or lower its own taxes for schools?
Is it equitable that each district can't choose to raise or lower its own taxes for schools?

Is it fair that some PTOs are able to raise a lot of money for their schools, and others are not?
Is it equitable that some PTOs are able to raise a lot of money for their schools, and others are not?

You get the idea. Fairness and equity are often not the same. And by the way, I'm not about to argue that we should always come down on the side of equity over fairness, or fairness over equity. I am going to argue that we should make that discussion public.

On another note: 

If you listen to, or read, the American Radioworks piece that I just wrote about, you will find an astounding statistic. In the Perry School Study, the estimated Return On Investment in avoided costs (for instance, paying for someone while they are in jail) is an astounding 16%.

So while our state legislators are mired in mud, looking at the next six months only, I would say that--not only are they unable to come to any agreements, but honestly--they are missing the boat entirely. The payoff in education is a long-term one. But it can be big.