Third ‘Power of Perspective’ panel to focus on inequity in education

A panel of three Clemson faculty will discuss how educational attainment, including P-12 and higher education, is often viewed as the key to upward mobility while simultaneously having components reinforcing inequity and injustice.

It will be the third “Power of Perspective” panel discussion, presented from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 27. The discussion is hosted by the Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center in Inclusion and Equity and the Department of Community Achievement and Student Empowerment in Student Affairs. 

The faculty panelists will be Natasha Croom, associate professor of higher education; Kristen Duncan, assistant professor or social studies education; and Nafees Khan, assistant professor of social foundations.

DeOnte Brown, assistant dean of students in Student Affairs, said the panelists will address the complexity that exists based on how education has historically been structured in the U.S.

“Horace Mann, considered to be a pioneer within the American education system, emphasized education as the most effective mechanism to level the societal playing field for men. At the time he was promoting this ideal, the students being educated were overwhelmingly white men and the structure of our education system was designed to center the experiences of this group,” said Brown.

“Two centuries after his comments, the students in our education system are more diverse and are navigating a complex system in hopes of having education be the great equalizer for them that Horace Mann proclaimed it to be.”

Topics considered for the panel are funding mechanisms, the curriculum, educator preparation, exclusionary practices and others that exists in tandem with use of education as the great equalizer.

“We know that Black students are disciplined at disproportionately higher rates than their peers or that schools with higher enrollments of students of color often find themselves under resourced,” Brown said.

The “Power of Perspective” series of panels is free and open to all Clemson faculty, students and staff.

Reserve your space at this link.