Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Equality is giving everyone the same thing, regardless of how much or little they may have already, but equity is giving everyone individually what they need to be successful. Knowing the definition of equity is a good thing, but it doesn't automatically help educators see how to work toward it, with either students or colleagues. A major challenge in this effort is that race enters into all teachers’ lives and work in many ways and at many levels. Segregation and related school-district boundaries affect property values, which in turn affect funding for schools. The Racial Literacy Development concepts of Historical Literacy and Archaeology of Self point us toward the inquiry into and critiquing of racism in education that we and our students can do, preparing us for action as interrupters for racial inequity.