I wanted to bring to the attention of the group an aspect of educational
equity (or inequity) which is so inherent our current approach to
education that I think it is commonly overlooked. Please take a look at
this article:
http://www.adihome.org/research/ed-research-blog/entry/literacy-and-mental
-health
A couple of comments:
1. What first caught my attention about the social determinants of health
was the contribution of inequality and hierarchical systems to stress
(Marmot’s Whitehall Studies, Sapolsky's primate studies, the research
popularized in videos like Unnatural Causes and Killer Stress). It is
evident to me that our school systems exert these same pressures on
students.
2. I think that there are multiple links between what happens in schools
and the malfunctioning of our political system. Aside from the fact that
our educational system accustoms people to hierarchy and inequality as
social models, and fails to provide them with any framework with which to
approach issues of political economy, I think that the "mind-shame"
described in the article also has implications for political behavior.
Specifically, I think it may contribute to people’s resentment towards
intellectual authority and their reluctance to try to think logically
about political/economic issues. “Critical thinking skills” are all very
well if you feel OK about your mind.
I think that as long as the major measured outputs of our schools are
custodial care and classification into social classes, schools are going
to be a significant and negative social determinant of health. It may be
that schools also have positive effects, but I think we need to minimize
the harm they do. To operate schools as we do today is analogous to
operating hospitals without attention to infection control.
Santiago Leon
==========
On Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:20 PM, Ann Curry-Stevens wrote:
>
>Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:20:08 -0800
>From: Ann Curry-Stevens
>To: [log in to unmask]
>cc:
>Subject: Re: [SDOH] Education equity
>
>Hi Diana and others,
>
>There is massive attention to educational equity issues here in
>Portland Oregon, and elsewhere around the USA. Key themes tend to
>include: access to early education, attendance, standardized test
>scores, discipline, graduation rates (and type and length of time to
>graduation), access to post-secondary graduation, and graduation from
>those sites, involvement and success in ESL, Special Education and
>Gifted programs, and credit attainment.
>
>We are mostly focusing on racial equity, but additional equity
>dimensions also emerge. It is a huge issue in the USA, and we are
>working really hard on it here.
>
>I'll direct your attention to a few sources of research on this in our
>local area, and in these resources will also be links to national
>efforts:
>- http://coalitioncommunitiescolor.org/research/research.html (there's
>a chapter on education in every report)
>- http://allhandsraised.org/downloads/data-and-research-archive/ (this
>is the work of a collaborative effort to improve the education system
>and draws in the school districts, city, county, researchers,
>community groups, private industry, universities/colleges, foundations
>and more)
>- http://web.multco.us/sites/default/files/ccfc/documents/exclusionary_di
scipline_1-3-12.pdf
>(a study of exclusionary discipline in our high schools disaggregated
>by race)
>
>If there's more I can assist with, please let me know.
>
>Ann Curry-Stevens (formerly from Toronto)
>
>On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 8:40 AM, Diana Daghofer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> There is a lot of work going on related to health equity, but I'm
wondering
>> if anyone has resources related to education equity in developed
nations.
>> So, not access to free education per se, but issues related to distance
from
>> schools (Can students walk or must they bus which impacts
extra-curricular
>> activities, sports, etc.); mental health (moving students from a small
>> community where they feel comfortable to a large community, large
school,
>> etc.); social inclusion (the effect on a community if students are all
bused
>> out); etc.
>>
>> Given the importance of education to health, this related area of
research
>> could be interesting. Thanks!
>>
>> Diana
>> --------------------
>> Diana Daghofer
>> Wellspring Strategies Inc.
>> Rossland, BC
>> 250-362-5810
>>
>> To leave, manage or join list:
>> https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=sdoh&A=1
>
>
>
>--
>Ann Curry-Stevens
>Associate Professor
>School of Social Work, Portland State University
>1800 SW 6th Avenue
>ASRC Building, Suite 600
>Portland, OR 97201
>ph. 503-725-5315
>
>To leave, manage or join list: https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED
1=sdoh&A=1
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