A group of middle schoolers in New York were taught about “equity” versus “equality” using resources from the United Nations, according to lesson plans obtained by a parental rights group.
Fifth graders from Herricks Middle School in Long Island were instructed on the differences between equity and equality while on a field trip to Herricks High School in December. The lesson was heavily based on materials from the U.N., according to a document obtained by Parents Defending Education and shared with The Daily Wire
“The theme of Educational Equity is taken from the [U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 4] in providing educational equity across the developing world,” a document from the school with links to U.N. resources said. “Using the goals of the UN to evaluate the steps thus far to achieve their goals the following research was explored for students to create their own projects to showcase what is being done across the developing world to meet the UN goals and how the UN is supporting the achievement of those goals.”
Parents Defending Education obtained the document after it filed a public records request for documents on the lesson after the school posted on its Facebook page that some fifth-grade students had learned about the difference between equity and equality while on a trip to the high school.
While some of the materials address the plight of education in places like Africa, the concept of equity in education has been utilized by some teachers to push politically charged activism in the classroom. As highlighted by Parents Defending Education, one of the aims of the U.N.’s sustainable development goal four is to promote “global citizenship education” around the world, and many of the materials focus on climate change.
“Equity and equality are not the same thing. Equality means providing the same resources to everyone. Equity signifies giving more to those most in need. Countries with greater inequity in education results are also those in which governments distribute resources according to the political pressure they experience in providing education,” one of the U.N. resources referenced in the lesson plan says.
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Caroline Moore, the vice president of Parents Defending Education, said that using U.N. concepts put traditional education in danger of being politicized.
“UN standards are contrary to American exceptionalism and merit-based principles,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “No one should be looking to the UN for anything, let alone so-called ‘equity’ standards. Herricks Public Schools should be embarrassed they are teaching students that they are either ‘oppressed’ or ‘oppressors’ and have preconceived outcomes because of their race. All students have the ability to achieve their academic goals, especially when districts prioritize academics over activism.”
The Daily Wire reached out to Herricks Public Schools for comment.