Maia Bedford

I believe that one’s language can demonstrate his respect, or lack thereof, for his self, others, and his surroundings; it also can reveal valuable information about one’s background. However, I never realized the value language played in education administration and policy. The seemingly subtle differences in phrases like achievement and opportunity gap are a lot deeper than I thought. An achievement gap implies that one group is more successful than another while an opportunity gap implies that one group is more privileged than another. This is an important distinction because differences in students’ achievement can only be fully understood when the reasons for the variances in achievement are evaluated. Interestingly enough, these reasons often lie in major disparities among students’ opportunities.

When discussing education policy, it is important to be very mindful of language because otherwise, it is easy to lose sight of the primary purpose of education. Education is the sharing of knowledge and experiences to promote personal growth. When students are referred to as numbers or potential threats to funding and order, the purpose of education becomes less about personal growth and more about producing sterile results and keeping order. I do not undervalue having order but do believe that when a system whose purpose is to promote sharing becomes fixed on structure, the system cannot truly achieve its goals.