Engage for Change Journal - 2025 by Millersville University

CHANGE

Engage for Equity & Justice in Education

FROM THE EDITORS: Equity and Justice in Education Issue

Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead

The headlines you read about education—teacher shortages, school shootings, book bannings, and artificial intelligence—capture just the tip of the iceberg about the state of education today. There is so much more hidden just below the surface. Have you ever thought about what teachers endure on a daily basis—the hours spent preparing lessons, the money spent on supplies, the constant worry they face about their own security and that of their students? How about what students go through each day—bullying, fear of microaggressions, fear of school shootings, and anxiety over Covid resurfacing and schools closing? What do you picture when you think of schools and classrooms? What images come to mind when you think about teachers and students and the issues and pressures they face today?

For us, the image is a battlefield with barren grounds; burning fires; crumbling buildings; toppled, empty desks; lonely and isolated students; and burnedout teachers walking around like they are in a war zone. We picture students in a no man’s land who have to go to school feeling unsafe; worrying about classmates entering their school with guns and shooting their friends and teachers; worrying about food, transportation, and money; and feeling left out and excluded from learning. We picture teachers in the trenches facing increased class sizes due to teacher shortages, exponential changes to the curriculum due to banned books and restrictive policies curbing race and gender discussions in the classroom, decreased funding requiring them to spend their own limited money for basic supplies, and every day feeling completely exhausted, unsupported, and burned out. Are there exceptions? Of course. However, what we describe is the lived experience of many teachers and students, especially those in Pennsylvania. Did you know that Pennsylvania was ranked 50th out of 50 U.S. public schools for students with diverse backgrounds (Research for Action)? Did you know that the attrition rate for teachers—the percentage of teachers leaving the field—was 7.7% from 2014–2023, the highest increase on record, especially for teachers of color and for the poorest school districts (Fuller, 2023)? Did you know that the average teacher salary in Pennsylvania has declined in the last 30 years (Fuller, 2023)? Did you know that 66% of school districts in Pennsylvania reported student mental health needs as one of their biggest challenges and that, on average, nearly half of students (46.4%) were estimated to have some mental health need (Pennsylvania School Boards Association, 2024)? Did you know that 19.3% of Pennsylvania students received special education services, an almost 19% increase over the past 15 years (Pennsylvania School Boards Association, 2024)?

We feel it is important to put ourselves in the shoes of others and actively imagine what others are experiencing to better understand their perspectives, feelings, and motivations. If we want to

improve education, we need to envision it from the perspectives of those who are living it. Imagining how students and teachers feel and what they experience and knowing statistics about the current state of education are a first step. It is also essential to move beyond empathy to action. We can’t remain on defense, waiting around to protect our positions and priorities; instead, we need to go on the offense, creating goals and strategies to forge forward. We are at a crossroads, positioned on a precipice, and it is up to us, dear readers, to do something. Change may be an uphill battle, but feelings of helplessness or hopelessness cannot prevail. Instead, we need to move beyond our feelings and imagine the possibilities and what we want for our children, for our students, and for our teachers. According to Ken Robinson, when we think about change in the education system, “the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail—it’s just the opposite—we aim too low and succeed” (The Element, p. 11). We need to dream big, for as Norman Vincent Peale claimed, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

What does aiming high and dreaming big look like in relation to education? When answering this question, we picture teachers, students, administrators, and parents on the education battlefield, picking up swords and fighting for what’s right, what’s just, what’s fair. While it may seem like we are fighting a losing battle and are outnumbered and outflanked, we need to remind ourselves that we have the power to make a change and that change can happen with a small idea, a glimmer, a spark, that can eventually ignite a fire. As with all battles, it is important to find a group of likeminded warriors who can work together for what is possible.

There are people in our community who care deeply about issues in education, which we discovered when the Engage for Change Journal staff hosted a public series event on equity and justice in education to hear about the educational issues community members, teachers, students, and administrators deemed urgent and to identify potential authors interested in writing about these issues in the Journal. Partnering with the Carter G. Woodson Lecture, we organized a three-part Equity and Justice in Education series, which tackled the following questions: Why is equity in schools so difficult to address? What is equity and justice in education? How do we create equity and justice in education? The series brought together over 100 Millersville University faculty and staff, students, local teachers, school administrators, school board members, and community members to discuss equity and justice in Pennsylvania education. One event in the series, organized as three TED Talk–style presentations followed by roundtable discussions, revealed a hunger for discussing educational issues, interacting with others concerned about educational

TATIANA PASHKOVA-BALKENHOL

KERRIE FARKAS

issues, and connecting with others passionate about enacting change. Participants craved the time and space to think about the issues, talk with others, grapple with questions, and brainstorm ideas for moving forward. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who noted the urgency of the issues and the opportunity to collaborate:

• “Thanks for hosting the great Engage for Change forum! It was wonderful to meet more folks who are passionate about equity in education.”

• “The flow of the event was balanced, appropriate, and provided time for collaboration and networking.”

• “Thanks for creating this space and for getting ‘wheels turning’ at the panel, which allowed me to connect with someone new as a potential research collaborator!”

• “Thank you for your work in creating the journal and workshops. Your hard work has helped me resume scholarly writing for publication.”

Our authors, some of whom participated in the Equity and Justice in Education series, also care deeply about education—so much so that they decided to write articles for this issue of the Journal. As a whole, our authors represent a diverse group of writers, ranging from Millersville students, faculty, alumni, local teachers, and community members. Their articles reflect the news headlines but dive below the surface by revealing the possibilities and dangers of arming teachers; the causes and effects of inequitable school funding; the teacher shortage, particularly teachers of color; teacher burnout; and discrimination and sexism in education. They advocate for creating a welcoming, accepting, and inclusive learning environment for all students, including students with dyslexia, English language learners, and minoritized groups spanning K-12 to higher education. Every author has a burning desire to increase awareness of the educational issue they are passionate about and ignite change in the educational system by proposing solutions and next steps. We encourage you to read the Author Highlight article “Engage in What Matters: The Story Behind the Why and What’s Next,” which encapsulates the authors’ motivations to write about the issues and the next steps they propose to transform the current state of education.

We also care deeply about educational issues and all issues of equity and justice. In fact, our concern about equity and justice sparked us to create the Journal three years ago. For years, we read about important issues of injustice and inequity, talked to others about these issues, and then felt a spark ignite. We felt compelled to do something, even if at first we didn’t know what to do or how to do it. For Kerrie, the initial spark began when she was a little girl aware of injustice and asking questions, but not satisfied with the responses.

FROM KERRIE: Ever since I was a little girl, the idea of fairness has been important to me. When I noticed something not being fair, I would consistently point it out to my mother, exclaiming, “That isn’t fair!” While most children drive parents to their wits’ end with “why” questions, I continually made statements about things being unjust. It was sometimes a student in

class being singled out and picked on by others, but at other times, it involved seeing a homeless person on the streets of Manhattan begging for money but being ignored by everyone walking by. Whenever I said “That isn’t fair,” my mother’s reply was always the same: “Ker, life isn’t fair.” I accepted this for a little while because it rang true. Life wasn’t fair to the student being picked on. Life wasn’t fair to the person living on the streets and begging for money. However, as I grew older, I realized that accepting that life isn’t fair means that you accept that there is no control over the situation and that you don’t have the power to do anything to change it. While I don’t think my mother believed this (and maybe as a single mother with three young kids, she needed a response in the moment that would terminate the ceaseless statements), I do think that sometimes systemic problems feel daunting enough that this response is commonplace.

Although I accepted that life wasn’t fair for a little while, there was always a little voice in my head that said, “Life may not be fair, but it should be,” and if there were two things above all else that my mother taught me, it was to always stand up for yourself and others and to always fight for what you believe in. That voice became louder as I grew older and conducted research on city government for my Ph.D., which revealed that community members do not get much, if any, say in community decision-making because by the time they learn about the issues, the decisions have already been made. Talk about not being fair! Community members would sometimes come to council meetings and pour their hearts out about issues they cared about, and due to the setup and structure of the meetings, council members did not even respond or show any empathy or compassion; they simply said “thanks” and “next.” This made me think about the possibility of creating a space where community members could voice their concerns about problems and issues in their community, and I thought a journal could potentially provide a platform for community voices to be heard.

I applied for and received a sabbatical in 2020, which meant I had one semester to produce a solid plan. During this time, I created a business proposal for the journal and then ran the idea by Tatiana, who quickly said, “I’m in.” She became instrumental in refining the ideas, arranging the timeline, and subsequently implementing the plan. Together, we published the first issue of the Engage for Change Journal on Environmental Justice in 2022 and our second issue on Gender Justice in 2023. This issue, Equity and Justice in Education, will be the third edition of the Journal. We both serve as co-editors of the Journal and co-directors of the internship we run to provide students at Millersville the opportunity to learn about the fields of editing and publishing. The work is timeconsuming, but we volunteer our time because we both believe strongly in our mission.

FROM TATIANA: When Kerrie approached me with the idea of creating a community-based journal, I enthusiastically said yes. I got very excited about the numerous opportunities for change the Journal can create for the local community. I have always been inspired by the idea of bringing groups of people from diverse backgrounds together to identify problems and work on solutions in their areas of influence.

The mission of the Journal promised to do that and more: to offer diverse authors, including MU faculty/ staff, students, and community members, the space for writing about the issues that are burning in their hearts; to empower the University and the local community to unite forces to identify the issues that affect all of us; to increase awareness of important issues; and to advocate for practical solutions to better the local community.

We both see the Journal as a platform for diverse community voices expressed through multiple perspectives, research studies, impact, commonground articles, and creative pieces. The voices share a common goal, which is to contribute to social, political, and economic justice in the local community. The Journal is peer-reviewed, which means that members of our esteemed editorial board ensure that the articles address the theme and are relevant and suitable for publication. The articles in the Journal also go through a rigorous editorial process in which we and our editorial staff (our interns!) work with authors to ensure their articles are as strong as they can be. At this point, you might be wondering what you can do about the injustices you see in your community.

FIRST, you can read the Journal! The issues we publish are a way for community members to read about important issues happening right here in Lancaster County and the surrounding area, become informed about the issues, and empathize with those experiencing injustice. SECOND, you can write an article for the Journal! The Engage for Change Journal is a theme-based journal, and anyone in the community is welcome to write and submit an article. We have many different types of articles—from creative pieces like poems or short stories to research-based articles—to accommodate a diverse array of voices and perspectives. THIRD, you can contribute to the Engage for Change Journal Blog, a new platform we just launched, which serves as a town hall but not the ones Kerrie observed and wrote about where community members were ignored! Instead, we hope the blog will serve as a space for community members to discuss the issues published in the Journal, share their experiences, make connections with others, and create a community that shares a passion for the same issues. FOURTH, you can consider how to take the next steps to create change in the community! As we consider what we can do individually and collectively to transform education, let’s remember

Kerrie Farkas Professor of English: Writing Studies

REFERENCES

that we need to be on the battlefield because we are the ones who can fight for change. Let’s also remember who we are fighting for—our students and our teachers. The articles in this issue of the Journal show what is at stake and what needs to be done. They reflect what Ken Robinson (2009), international advisor on education, argued: “Given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions” (p. 1). As Ken Robinson (2009) posited, “Public schools were not only created in the interests of industrialism—they were created in the image of industrialism. In many ways, they reflect the factory culture they were designed to support…. Students are educated in batches, according to age, as if the most important thing they have in common is their date of manufacture” (p. 10).

As Robinson suggested, sometimes you need to metaphorically burn it all down before you can start again. We need to transform the factory model of education that follows a standardized, ubiquitous model where students are educated in a one-sizefits-all curriculum that prioritizes memorization and recall over critical thinking and problem-solving. We can’t just put another Band-Aid on the wound and hope the bleeding stops. If we want schools to foster creativity and imagination and have children motivated and excited about learning and attending school, then we need to transform the entire education system. If we want spaces where students and teachers feel safe to bring their authentic selves to the classroom; where students and teachers are free from bias, discrimination, racism, and sexism; where classrooms are free from bullying; where teachers are supported by professional development, resources, and administrators to create a culturally relevant, equitable, and inclusive learning environment for every student; where diversity among teachers and students is celebrated and welcomed; and where every student is seen, heard, and included in the learning process, then now is the time to learn about the situations in which these happen. Now is the time to make plans and work to change these situations. Now is the time to pick up our swords and go to battle.

Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol Undergraduate Research & Instruction Librarian

Fuller, E. (2023). Exacerbating the shortage of teachers: Rising teacher attrition in Pennsylvania from 2014 to 2023. Penn State Center for Education, Evaluation, and Policy Analysis https://ed.psu.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/ceepa-researchbrief-2023-6-_-exacerbating-the-shortage-of-teachers-ed-fuller-1.pdf

Pennsylvania School Boards Association. (2024). The State of Education Report. https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-State-of-Education-report.pdf

Robinson, K. (2009). The element: How finding your passion changes everything. Penguin.

ENGAGE IN WHAT MATTERS: The Story Behind the Why and What’s Next

By Aubrey Lenker, Kylie Loiacono, Ashton Nafziger, and Madison Reisinger

ABSTRACT

In this article, the interns of the Engage for Change Journal heard from authors about their individual perspectives on writing their articles for the Journal. We asked two types of questions to the authors: “Why?” and “What’s Next?” The former primarily asked about the background behind the author’s inspiration for their papers, while the latter sought recommendations for the next steps in the process of highlighting and hopefully changing the ways these issues present themselves in schools. These questions helped us gauge authors’ interest in their areas of study and gave us inspiration and ideas about the future of these issues and suggestions on how to raise awareness. The authors interviewed wrote a mix of research and perspective articles, so ideas differed on why and how their issues should be amended. Through this personalized, invested approach, we sought to get to know our authors better outside of the publication. Through these interviews, we found that the authors had strong opinions on what needs to be accomplished in the Lancaster schooling community to make it more inclusive for everyone.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever read an article and wondered about the author’s perspective, how they came to write it, and what they hoped readers would get from it? As interns working for the Engage for Change Journal, we certainly have. Throughout our internship experience, each of us spent hours editing and proofreading the articles featured in this issue and created specialized and personal relationships with all of our authors. The more we worked with authors on their articles, the more we found ourselves interested in what inspired them to choose their topics and what led them to publish with us. We also quickly found ourselves invested in many of the issues discussed in their articles, with each of us wanting to highlight and bring more awareness to the unjust disparities plaguing our community. This led us to “sit down” with our authors and ask for their insights regarding the issues they focus on and what they believe needs to be done to correct the injustices they discuss. In the following paragraphs, we feature authors who volunteered to discuss why they decided to write about their topic and what steps they think should come next in the fight for justice and/or equality. By doing this and sharing their responses, we hope to not only further address the issues in their articles but also uphold the Journal’s missions of contributing to public knowledge and public engagement by harnessing the collaborative potential and expert knowledge of faculty, students, and residents on social, political, and economic issues affecting the Lancaster County region as a whole.

WHY?

When talking with our authors, we discovered that having such a diverse set of individuals contributing to this Journal issue presented several unique reasons for why they chose to write about what they did, with many authors having deep personal connections to the issues they discussed.

For example, in her article “How Dyslexia Affects Students in the Classroom,” Carmen Portillo discusses how the learning experience for dyslexic students is different from neurotypical students and how it should be treated as such by schools. Her insights and investment into this topic stem from her own struggles as a dyslexic student and from not knowing she had dyslexia until her sophomore year of high school. She said, “I was a good student, but severely struggled on exams. My teachers always told me I needed to study harder … but in reality, I was struggling with my dyslexia” (C. Portillo, personal communication, November 18, 2024).

Conversely, the authors of “Breaking Barriers: Exploring Sexism in Education,” Katherine Riley and Olivia Hess, are prime examples of how issues in the education system can affect more than just students; they affect teachers and faculty as well. Riley and Hess state, “We wrote about sexism in education because this is something we not only see, but experience, in our jobs every day as female math teachers” (K. Riley & O. Hess, personal communication, October 23, 2024). Where Carmen’s connection to her topic stems more from her past experiences, Katherine and Olivia continue to experience the ongoing issue of sexism, giving them a constant reminder of the problem they address.

The more we talked with our authors, the more they began to share with us, going as far as to express why they believed their issues were important to address. For instance, Nigerian immigrant and current education professor at Millersville University Dr. Abdulsalami Ibrahim has had firsthand experience in seeing poor responses to diversity in the education system, which he writes about as a coauthor of “Affecting Changes to Embrace and Invite Diversity in Our Schools.” When discussing the importance of his topic, he stated, “Our classrooms are becoming more diverse than ever before … I feel exploring and preparing preservice teachers in the areas of diversity and inclusion will not only prepare them to be culturally conscious but in addition, it will prepare them to be effective educators for all the students within the four walls of school” (A. Ibrahim, personal communication, November 20, 2024).

Similarly to Dr. Ibrahim, the author of “Armed and Safe? A Commentary on the Matter of Arming Teachers,” August Gorman, tackles the debate around arming teachers as a teacher himself. He describes the cyclical nature of the debate surrounding this issue, stating it “is a lot like the ouroboros [the snake that eats its own tail]. A school shooting happens—[we grieve and sympathize—we discuss passing laws restricting gun access—debate about changing the second amendment]—it’s a slippery slope to losing our freedoms—[months go by]—a school shooting happens [again with nothing being resolved]” (A. Gorman, personal communication, October 26, 2024). August recognizes the monolithic nature of the issue he addresses, comparing his article to “nothing more than a drop in the ocean” but also stating that “hopefully it’s a drop that will catch someone’s attention. And if that someone happens to be a person in a position to create some significant change in our country, then I guess that’s the best I can hope for” (A. Gorman, personal communication, October 26, 2024).

WHAT’S NEXT?

In addition to asking authors why they chose/wrote about the topics they did, we also asked them if they would volunteer their opinions regarding what comes next for their issues, what actions need to be taken to improve their issues, and if they think their issue has the potential to be resolved. Many of them held strong opinions (both neutral and positive) regarding the future of the issues they discussed due to their own experiences.

For example, Dr. Aileen Hower, one of the coauthors of “Affecting Changes to Embrace and Invite Diversity in Our Schools,” has spent the past two years dedicating her time to improving the teacher shortage and teacher diversity in Pennsylvania. She and her coauthors expressed their current plans to combat the issue. Dr. Hower wrote, “We are writing grants to bolster the teacher pipeline programs that Millersville University’s College of Education and Human Services has already begun [and we] continue to write and speak about these topics and train future teachers on the CRSE Competencies” (A. Hower, personal communication, November 20, 2024).

Unlike Dr. Hower, August took a metaphorical approach when answering the “what’s next” question by referring back to his comparison of the issue of arming teachers to the ouroboros. He presented the questions “Where would you cut the snake to stop the problem? Would you cut its head so that way it cannot eat its tail, while in the process killing the snake itself? Do you cut the tail, and hope that the snake doesn’t simply move further up its body to continue eating? Do you put the snake in a brace so that it cannot physically move to eat its tail, and in doing so immobilize the snake and remove its autonomy?” (A. Gorman, personal communication, October 26, 2024). With these questions, August aimed to highlight the unknown, difficult nature of his topic because we as a society have recognized that, just like with the snake, it is impossible to draw a clear plan for resolving the problem of school shootings. Despite this, he does hope that “we can one day, somehow, find an effective way of reasoning with the snake, and ask it why it feels the need to eat its own tail, when all it will result in is pain” (A. Gorman, personal communication, October 26, 2024).

Carmen, as optimistic as August, focused on the immediate next steps for teachers when it comes to improving learning for dyslexic students while also keeping in mind that the ability to find what works best can be difficult. She expressed that teachers should look into implementing educational RPGs (role-playing games) in their classrooms to improve the quality of learning for dyslexic students. She wrote, “Trying something new can be nerve-wracking, but I urge teachers to be open-minded and receptive to their students’ needs. Not everything is going to work for every student, but if a large percentage finds [RPGs] helpful and engaging, why would you not want to utilize this resource? Just try!” (C. Portillo, personal communication, November 18, 2024).

While discussing the potential next steps for their issues, the authors inevitably got into whether they believed their issues could be resolved, with several providing us with hopeful, yet realistic stances. For instance, Katherine and Olivia believe that “while discrimination and biases will likely always be prevalent in our society, [sexism in education] can become less detrimental to females in education (and all workplaces) if we fight for change now” (K. Riley & O. Hess, personal communication, October 23, 2024). The two women felt strongly that sexism in classrooms and educational institutions could be resolved with proper advocacy, stating, “We must continue the push for females to be held to the

same standard as men so [all females] can be taken seriously as students and/or educators” (K. Riley & O. Hess, personal communication, October 23, 2024).

Anne Maneval, author of “The Past and Future of Pennsylvania School Funding: Can Equal Education Be Measured Across the Board?,” also highlighted the importance of being aware of and fighting for change—in her case, unequal Pennsylvania school funding. She wrote, “With continued awareness, strategies, and talk surrounding the issue, including investments in the teacher workforce and policies and programs geared towards each school’s individual needs, I think it can [be improved] upon from gained experience of what hasn’t worked” (A. Maneval, personal communication, November 3, 2024).

In like manner, as a multiracial, “white-passing,” cisgender female who has worked with the CRSE (Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education) competencies, Dr. Miriam Witmer advocates strongly for standing up for what is right for all students and engaging in change. As the third coauthor of “Affecting Changes to Embrace and Invite Diversity in Our Schools,” her response to our question focused on slow but impactful resolutions stemming from an awareness of the teacher shortage and lack of diversity in Pennsylvania schools. She stated, “It may take some time to see real change, but representation matters. When students can see effective teachers who look like them teaching, they may be more likely to consider teaching as a future career which could directly increase teacher diversity in PA” (M. Witmer, personal communication, November 20, 2024). She mentioned the work she, Dr. Hower, and Dr. Ibrahim are doing on the Millersville University campus to push for culturally relevant teaching to lessen hostility toward marginalized students by writing, “I am hopeful that we can ‘humanize’ education by working together and celebrating diversity” (M. Witmer, personal communication, November 20, 2024).

CONCLUSION

In this article, we explored the “why” and “what’s next” for some of our authors’ topics for the Equity and Justice in Education issue. We learned more not only about the authors themselves but also the personal experiences of those in our community who are striving to make a difference and solve issues that affect many of us. Not only do the personal experiences motivating these authors to write stem from their pasts, but they also come from ongoing struggles that persist in their daily lives. Our authors also, both in this article and in their own articles later in this issue, express actions and next steps that need to be taken to combat these pressing issues in our community and spark hope for the future in the realm of education. Read on not only to learn more about these important issues but also to help our authors in their efforts to make change!

AUBREY LENKER is an aspiring Millersville graduate. An English major with a minor in Creative Writing and Publishing, Aubrey hopes to go into the editing field in the future. Aubrey worked as the Intern and Faculty Liaison for the Engage for Change Journal, which meant she kept the pulse of each team member and fostered communication between interns and faculty. In her free time, Aubrey likes to craft, play video games, and read.

KYLIE LOIACONO is a soon-to-be Millersville University graduate. While at Millersville, she has been pursuing a Bachelor’s degree with a major in English with a concentration in Writing Studies and a minor in History. She has also interned as the Project Manager for Authors for the Engage for Change Journal, in which she oversaw the entire editing/publishing process and maintained effective communication between the authors and the Journal. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, and making art. Upon graduation, Kylie hopes to pursue a career in the Editing and Publishing industry, as well as publish her own novels.

ASHTON NAFZIGER is a Media Arts Production major with a Creative Writing and Publishing minor. He is a junior at Millersville University and one of the interns on the Engage for Change Journal Team. Specifically, he was the Web Design Specialist, which meant that he was in charge of making design and infrastructure changes and improvements to the Journal’s website. In his free time, he enjoys reading comics, playing video games, and creative writing.

MADISON REISINGER is a senior majoring in English: Writing Studies with a minor in History at Millersville University. She has been the journal’s Marketing and Outreach Specialist this year, which included running the Journal’s social media and organizing outreach initiatives to help the journal gain more readers and potential authors. She is set to graduate this Spring with plans to pursue a career in the publishing industry. In her free time, Madi enjoys theatre, reading, writing, and watching sports.

CO-EDITORS

Kerrie R.H. Farkas, Founder & Co-editor, English & World Languages

Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol, Co-editor, McNairy Library

EDITORIAL BOARD

Nivedita Bagchi, Government, Policy, and Law

Jill Craven, Film Studies

Caleb Corkery, English and World Languages

Angela Cuthbert, Geography

Adam Lawrence, Government, Policy, and Law , CCERP

Nancy Mata, Art & Design

Justin Mando, Writing Studies/Science Writing

Laura Weise Cross, Biology

Bertha DeJesus, Social Work

JOURNAL STAFF

Aubrey Lenker, English, Faculty-Intern Team Liaison

Kylie Loiacono, English: Writing Studies, Project Manager for Authors

Ashton Nafziger, Media Arts Production, Web Design Specialist

Madison Reisinger, English: Writing Studies, Marketing and Outreach Specialist

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Kaelyn Draucker, Speech Communication: Public Relations

Charlie Duvall, Media Arts Production

Cory Engle, Applied Engineering and Technology Management

Jacob Engle, Applied Engineering and Technology Management

Ben Kuhn, Occupational Safety & Environmental Health

Emma Ludwig, Communication: Public Relations

Bryan McGuire, Meteorology

Riley McShane, English: Writing Studies

Jarett Meisner, Communication: Journalism

Nana Sallh, Communication: Public Relations

Elena Sarkissian: Speech Communication

Austin Shive: Emergency Management

Lindsay Solderitch, Communication: Public Relations

Faith Strausbaugh, English

Haven Thomas, Communication: Journalism

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Cheryl Lockley, University Communications & Marketing

Kelly Herr, University Communications & Marketing

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express gratitude for support received from the Francine G. McNairy Library and Learning Forum; Department of English & World Languages; Office of Grants, Sponsored Programs, and Research; Positive Energy Fund; President’s Commission on the Status of Women; President’s Commission on Cultural Diversity; Mentorship Support Grant Program; University College

SCHOOL FUNDING & RESOURCE INEQUALITIES

Unpacking educational inequalities: A personal journey into resource disparities, access challenges, and teacher diversity (Perspective Article)

Ty Bair | 10

Equity in education: Bridging the funding gap (Impact Article)

Keith Miles | 14

The past and future of Pennsylvania school funding; Can equal education be measured across the board? (Research Article)

Anne Maneval | 18

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Effecting changes to embrace and invite diversity in our schools (Impact Article)

Drs. Aileen Hower, Abdulsalami Ibrahim, & Miriam Witmer | 22

Equity and inclusion: A perspective of a sense of belonging in an online doctoral program (Perspective Article)

Drs. Bertha DeJesus & Karen Polite | 30

SEXISM & BIAS

Equity and justice in education: What do you need to unlearn? (Perspective Article)

Stacie Blake | 42

Breaking barriers: Exploring sexism in educationliterature review (Research Article)

Olivia Hess & Katherine Riley | 46

RACE & DISCRIMINATION IN EDUCATION

Why race should be taught in K-12 schools (Research Article) Julissa Rodriguez | 50

Don’t feel no ways tired: The neurobiological impact of workplace prejudice and discrimination on black women’s well-being in higher education ecologies (Research Article)

Dr. Valdijah Ambrose Brown | 56

STUDENT & TEACHER DILEMMAS

Testimonial: Teacher advocates for paraeducators (Perspective Article) Greta Van Arman | 62

Inequitable causes and effects: Teacher burnout and care (Impact Article)

Alexander Rohrer | 68

Scientific, not sexualized, sex education: Updating Pennsylvania’s academic guidelines (Impact Article)

Julia Fallows | 72

How dyslexia affects students in the classroom: Literature review (Research Article)

Carmen Portillo | 76

Armed and safe? A commentary on the matter of arming teachers (Perspective Article)

August Gorman | 80

UNPACKING EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES: A Personal Journey into Root Causes of Funding and Diversity in Education

By Ty Bair

ABSTRACT

Mentors have the power to inspire students and serve as catalysts for change. They can alter a student’s path in life and ignite a spark that can transform into a flame. This article discusses my educational journey, beginning with a personal story of my difficult childhood made easier by a mentor supporting me and ending with my personal mission to mentor students like me. The mentoring I received fueled my desire to develop an intentional mentoring program, which I co-created with Shayne Meadows to address the root causes of inequitable school funding and lack of teacher diversity that I experienced as a student and as a teacher.

From an early age, my mother’s view on school was openly communicated to my siblings and I that school was not important, nor was it a way to survive in life. My mother had thirteen children and dropped out of school in seventh grade when she had her first child. As a single mother on public assistance her whole life, her housing situation was always transient, which meant ours was as well. For my K-12 education, I attended 5 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools. My father was never present and did not play a significant role in my life because he was on drugs and in and out of prison. We lived in a cycle of poverty, living under that Federal government poverty line determination. Two of my brothers, who dropped out of school in ninth and tenth grade and chose gangs rather than education, were killed due to gang violence, and no one in my immediate family graduated from high school or even made it to tenth grade. The schools I attended were in the poorest areas of the city, which meant the schools were underfunded. If someone heard about a child with this story, what would they say? What would be the likelihood of that child not only graduating high school but becoming an educator and advocate for students? At the time, my instinct was survival. At the time, I was wondering how I could get out of this hell, this mess that I was living in? At a crucial moment, a counselor came into my life and showed me that there was another way. He spent time with me, tutoring me, but also allowed me to experience the world with him, taking me and two other students to the beach and other places. He spent his money feeding us and was always there to listen when we had concerns. I realize now that it was the power of mentorship that helped me continue schooling. My mentor, who came into my life and wanted to see me do better, was helping me break the cycle of poverty. In spite of attending underfunded schools, in spite of living in poverty, in spite of what my family valued, and in spite of my siblings not graduating high school, I, with the help of my mentor, continued going to school and graduated, the first in my family to do so.

How does my story address some of the deeper issues of inequality and injustice in education? My childhood experiences in school uncover the issue of lack of equitable funding. My experiences as a teacher uncover the lack of teacher diversity. As a student, I experienced lack of equitable funding but benefitted from teacher diversity. As a teacher, I advocate that both need to be addressed. We all can state the easy answer to these issues: that every school district needs more money and every school district needs more teachers of color. For the harder answers, we need to be truly honest, self-reflective, and uncomfortable, and we need to be willing to have an open conversation.

FUNDING – NOT ALL SCHOOLS ARE EQUITABLE

Within a school district, school funding is distributed inequitably. Why? According to Buckwalter (2015), school funding in Pennsylvania “involves a complicated soup of revenue sources but relies heavily on local real estate taxes. Many say the system is uneven, unfair and unsustainable.” I have worked at a school for over 20 years, and because of the location of the school, funds are not spent or seemingly not spent on the children attending these schools. What does that do to the morale of both staff and students? How do the staff who work in underfunded schools feel? If you work in a school that is run-down, you feel run-down, and your performance is run-down. What does attending school in a building that looks like it’s going to collapse at any second do to kids, especially since on the other side of town a school in the same school district looks like the Taj Mahal. Kids in the first building don’t have access to instruments, musicals, technologies, purposeful mentoring, or programming, while in the same district just in a different building,

other children have access, all due to the location where they live and because of inadequate funding.

Why? What is the root cause for this? Why are some families, students, and staff seemingly looked at as less than? Within a district, how is the funding distributed, especially in places where one school is funded and another underfunded? How is this decision made? According to the Board of School Director’s website for the School District of Lancaster, the Board directs the Chief Financial Officer to “establish a projected budget of expenditures and income for the current year and ensuing year,” which they then approve and implement. How does the CFO become aware of all the factors and dynamics of each school in the district to make sure they are equitable? Another question is, who is sitting on the school board? If no one from your neighborhood is on the school board, then you may not be deemed worthy enough to receive funding. Your school can be left out of funding or determined not to need such funding.

Who then holds school boards accountable? I understand that holding school boards accountable comes from the power of the vote; however, in many underserved communities, that power is not exercised, and many schools cannot afford resources and opportunities to help students succeed. In addition, the lack of funding impacts teacher recruitment and retention, especially for teachers of color. Schools with equitable funding will have a larger pool to recruit teachers of color. For example, with all else being equal, a school district with higher teacher salaries would likely have more teachers applying for those positions (and thus a larger pool from which to hire teachers) than a lower-spending state, and school districts with lower teacher salaries are not in a position to compete for teaching talent with districts that have more funding.

DIVERSITY IN TEACHING

What impact do teachers of color have on children of color believing they can become teachers? I believe this subject is difficult to address for several factors but mainly because it touches on race. I have seen this question make people uncomfortable, make people become defensive, make people say things like why does it matter who is sitting in front of a child as long as they are qualified, but the truth is, representation matters; it has always mattered and just saying it matters is not enough. What are we going to do about it?

Growing up, I was extremely fortunate to have many educators of color, from teachers, administrators and even an assistant superintendent. This trend continued when I started teaching 24 years ago: in the building in which I taught, there were 15 teachers of color and more professionals of color in the building. That same building today has four teachers of color. All around the district and across districts is this situation the same? According to Lancaster Newspaper, which published findings from the YWCA report on equity and teacher diversity in Lancaster County, the vast majority of teachers in Lancaster County public schools are white even though their student populations are increasingly diverse. In fact, the newspaper reported that “more than a third of students in Lancaster, Columbia Borough, Conestoga Valley and Manheim Township school districts are people of color but more than 90% of teachers in these districts are white.” They further reported that “countywide, 96% of teachers are white while 65% of students are white (Stalnecker, 2023).

I ask myself, did seeing and experiencing these teachers have an effect on my belief that I could become a teacher? As a teacher of color, do I have that same impact on other students of color? What would happen if the roles were reversed and 98% of the student population was white and 95% of the teachers were teachers of color? Would we then ask if representation matters? According to the YWCA’s (2023) An Equity Profile of Lancaster, “studies have shown that all students, but especially students of color, perform better and receive better educational support when taught by teachers of color. Diverse teachers are able to be role models for students of color and better provide culturally relevant teaching” (p. 50).

If we want more teachers of color in our school districts, then we need more children of color to go into teacher education. Maybe the question we should be asking is, why aren’t more children of color pursuing a career in education? How are they supported throughout their academic career? What systems are put in place so that students don’t feel isolated on a college campus? What is the likelihood that that student of color will have a professor of color, which can make them wonder if they chose the right career and if they want to pursue it long term. And when that student graduates, what are the chances they find a career and have the support needed to sustain that career?

RECRUITMENT OF TEACHERS OF COLOR

Where are the teachers of color, or where have they gone? Are schools doing enough to recruit more teachers of color? My sons will not have that same experience that I had when I attended school because they have less than 4% of teachers of color in their school district. If the current trend stands in that district, they will graduate without having a teacher of color in their core subject areas. How do we change this?

When I graduated college, I attended a job fair in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, seeking a position in teaching. Two African American men approached me and said, “Son, what are you doing down here? You’re coming back home to Lancaster!” These two men were from the School District of Lancaster, recruiting an hour away to find talent, and especially teachers of color. That is the type of intentionality that it will take to find teachers of color.

I have had the fortunate or unfortunate experience of being selected to sit on two hiring committees for a superintendent and high school principal position in my sons’ school district. I asked the question to all candidates: If selected for this position, how would you try to recruit teachers of color? Their responses were pretty much the same; they said that they would try, but we need to understand that there is a teacher shortage everywhere. The follow-up question I asked to all candidates: Would you try to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCU)? I was amazed at how many candidates didn’t know what that was or where the closest HBCU was located. Do Human Resource departments have these schools on their radar? Are there budgets to travel and promote their school districts to in-state and out-of- universities? The type of intentionality the School District of Lancaster used when they recruited me is what should be implemented across all school districts.

ADVANTAGE LANCASTER

When I became a teacher, I was lucky to meet the best teacher I have ever witnessed: Shayne Meadows. With his help, mentorship, energy, and passion for change, we started our own nonprofit called Advantage Lancaster. When we started the program, we struggled to find financial support, but we were not going to allow a lack of funding to stop us; instead, we sought multiple funding opportunities and engaged in various fundraising activities. We continue to seek funding each year for the program because we don’t have consistent donor support to make the program sustainable. This year, we were fortunate to partner with the School District of Lancaster.

Together, we focused on addressing what we saw as two root causes for the unserved, unrepresented, unheard voices in the city of Lancaster and surrounding areas: lack of teacher diversity and inequitable school funding. How can individuals change inequitable funding and diversity in teaching? We decided to address these issues through mentoring so that these young people in impoverished communities, especially kids of color, were seen and heard and guided by supportive mentors. The five-week program takes place in the summer months of June and July on the Franklin & Marshall campus. Students take multiple classes, including an English Language Arts class, math, science, and a social/emotional learning class, with breaks for lunch and tennis games. Once a week a guest speaker comes to discuss a career opportunity, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are dedicated to community service, college visits, or exploration of local attractions, such as museums and beaches. This year will be the program’s twenty-fourth year.

Our work as mentors begins with students in the program creating what we call “winning life plans.” What is a winning life plan for a student living in poverty? A winning life plan has five principles: education, community service, appreciation for the arts, wellness, and career exploration. A winning life plan begins with education and believing in the value of education, that education can then take students wherever they want to go, and it also includes the goals and the dreams that students have. The education component starts with a book, and our choice of book must meet two qualifications: it must be written by a minority, and it must have perseverance / determination as a core theme. We have students read the book and then experience the tangible parts of the book all while making connections back to the classroom and the readings. Some of the books we have used include the following:

Melba Pattillo Beals’s Warriors

Don’t Cry, Jacqueline Woodson’s Miracle Boys, and Andrea Warren’s Surviving Hitler. The books allow students to see themselves, their struggles, and their experiences reflected in these books. The books encourage students to experience life beyond their neighborhoods and feel that they are not alone. Every book starts with a teenager and the journey they take in life. The books serve as foundation and backbone for them to create their

own winning life plans, and they keep the books so they can start their own libraries. While dissecting the books and answering questions, they are discussing them with the thirty other students who have also read the same books, which allows them to build a community of their own through reading and sharing. They strengthen their community through peer mentoring opportunities where juniors and seniors serve as mentors to first and second year students and through field trips, by participating in rigorous and enriching conversations on the bus because we require that they use no phones and engage in deep discussions so that they learn how to effectively communicate with each other.

We address the issue of the lack of teacher diversity by creating an intentional plan to recruit teachers of color as mentors for the Advantage Lancaster program. This was not easy; we used the little time we had between professional developments to talk to teachers of color. We traveled to different schools after the school day to meet with teachers, and we found ways to introduce the program to attract them. 95% of our staff are minorities and 91% of students are minorities with 48% are Latino, 41% African American, 9% Caucasian, and 2% biracial. Once staff are committed, we find ways to use what they were passionate about to keep them in the program.

CLOSING

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a truck driver and only went to school to play sports. Thanks to the encouragement from the principal of color, Mr. Walker, and the teachers of color, the majority of whom taught in the lowest social-economic schools–Mrs. Dickerson (my first black teacher), Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Glover, Mr. Blackman, Mr. Galaraz, Mr. McCloud, Mrs. Mouzon, Mrs. Nyutu, Mrs. Banks, Mrs. Perry, Coach Powell, Mrs. Cottom–I chose a winning life path. I often wonder if seeing and experiencing these teachers had an effect on my subconscious that I had the ability to be a teacher.

My experiences as a student and as an educator helped me learn valuable lessons that I have incorporated into a mentorship program, with the help and guidance of my friend and mentor Shayne Meadows, who was a teacher at a school in southeast Lancaster, a school with some many unserved, unrepresented, unheard voices. We saw the issues of inequitable funding and lack of teacher diversity and set off to do something about them through intentional mentoring. Together, we founded the nonprofit Advantage Lancaster because we were determined to stop the cycle of poverty and change lives for the better.

Finding the real issues to create equitable and just education is hard. Diving deeper into these issues is even more challenging because it requires us to be honest and uncomfortable, but I believe in that space and only in that space will we be able to find real solutions. This little boy, from a single mother of 13, whose family did not see the value in education, is extremely thankful to have come across some amazing teachers of color, who spoke life into my life, made me feel that I was worthy, and now I am able to do this for others.