16th Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research
“A Shade Less Offensive”: School Integration as Radical Inclusion in the Pursuit of Educational Equity
Guest Lecturer: Prudence L. Carter
October 24, 2019
The 16th Annual AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research featured guest lecturer Dr. Prudence Carter of the University of California, Berkeley, and she did not disappoint! This year’s lecture was on the topic of school integration and inclusion in the pursuit of educational equity. The Brown Lecture usually takes place every October at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The AERA usually puts out the date in advance, so be on the lookout for next year’s lecture and save the date!
In case you missed the lecture, here are my key takeaways!
Key Takeaways
- Educational Opportunities = Opportunities
- “Opportunity Gap” not “Achievement Gap”
- Elevators, escalators, & stairs (metaphors of opportunity)
- Need for “absolute progress” (progress as a whole, not just specific groups)
- Recalibration is necessary
- We need true integration by design
- International scene is class-based vs. the U.S. which is race-based
- Equal outcomes do not equal equity
3 Areas for Change
| Mindset | “Testocracy” | Structure |
| cultural | dismantle | truth & reconciliation |
| political | avoid using results to sort and distribute resources | tracking |
| fear of “other” | remove high stakes dimension | discipline |
| *It’s a movement. | use of multiple measures over single measure | resource allocation |
| use tests for diagnostic purposes | public housing | |
| *It’s assessment. | *It’s systemic. |
Lastly, here is Dr. Carter’s “courageous advice” for graduate students: Engage in interdisciplinary work across fields that go beyond your scope, and learn how to talk about race.
To watch the 2019 Brown Lecture given by Dr. Prudence Carter, visit 16th Annual AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research.
For more on the Annual Brown Lecture, visit AERA Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research.
