Contemporary Issues in Equity, Democracy, and Public Education explores how inequity manifests in public education and social institutions, and how this inequity impacts the health and wellbeing of citizens, including marginalized people. Demonstrating how inequity thereby threatens democracy, this book also poses suggestions for improving equity in U.S. education.

Taking a multidisciplinary approach to historical and contemporary sources of inequity that operate in social institutions and public policy, this carefully curated volume shows how disparities in education levels, income, housing, and health have consequences that reverberate through individuals’ lives, and thereby undermine a democratic way of life. Contributions from a wide variety of experts offer approaches to solving these problems, as well as curricular innovations for identifying and alleviating systemic inequities. Part 1 begins by examining the origins and persistence of systemic inequity in U.S. public education, while Part 2 highlights the physiological, psychological, and social impacts of systemic bias, and how these factors interrupt democratic engagement over time. Moving on to examine the curriculum in more detail, Part 3 explores how we can promote equity across the curriculum, and Part 4 closely considers how we can expand educational opportunities for marginalized groups within STEM education.

The book will make invaluable reading for graduate students and researchers in Education – particularly Social Justice Education, Multicultural Education, Educational Policy and Politics, STEM Education, and Social Studies Education – as well as policymakers, in-service teachers, administrators, and activists.