It's no secret that some students are getting a better education than others.
Schools in wealthier parts of the country earn more tax revenue and have active PTOs and booster clubs that raise additional funds for their schools. Larger schools are able to offer a wider selection of classes than smaller ones simply because of logistics.
This isn't fair.
In Texas, for example, TEA has outlined 545 different classes (we counted) that high school students should be able to take. That's greater than the number of total students enrolled in many Texas districts. It would be impossible for most (if not all) schools to offer that many courses to their students. There aren't enough teachers, there aren't enough classrooms and there isn't enough demand among students for certain courses. After all, how many students want to take AP Chinese?
Most schools require a minimum number of students to enroll in a class before they can offer it. When a student want to take a specific class that aligns with their interests and they are denied that opportunity, that sends students the message that their interests don't matter.
No student anywhere ever should believe that their interests and education doesn't matter. Every student's education matters. Attending a big school in a metropolitan area shouldn't mean that those students are afforded greater educational opportunities. But it does.
So what can we do about?
Virtual education is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And it opens the door to individualizing education in a way that was never possible before. If a single student in a rural school wants to take AP Calculus, schools have the ability to connect that single student with a virtual teacher who can help that student achieve their educational goals.
At The Educator Solutions, we're aiming to provide equitable education to all students in Texas. Not only do we offer certified teachers to help schools fill their teacher vacancies, we provide educators who specialize in courses not all schools can offer on a large scale. Our goal is to make sure every student is able to take advantage of every educational opportunity possible.
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