Investing in Equal Opportunity: What Would It Take to Build the Balance Wheel?

Overview & Synopsis

More than 150 years ago Horace Mann persuasively reasoned that education is the "balance wheel" of the social structure. He argued that education should be free and universal. While much progress has been made in establishing a universal education system since Mann spoke those words, substantial disparities in educational resources, opportunities, and outcomes continue to undermine his vision--and ultimately our society. This brief revisits Mann's vision of education as the balance wheel of society. The purpose is to identify resources and supporting policies that would be required if we fully committed our schools to the goal of equal opportunity. The brief recognizes that the opportunity gap is grounded in a range of social and economic factors well beyond the control of schools and that serious efforts to promote equal opportunity must include a broader set of services. However, in the absence of policies to address those factors, it seems reasonable to consider what an education system fully committed to equal opportunity might look like. The brief describes resources and services that are within the traditional education sphere as well as provisions and necessary resources that would expand the role of education to address student needs in ways that, in many cases, are already expected of schools. The paper concludes by discussing the challenges of pursuing equal opportunity in the current policy context that promotes high stakes accountability, resegregation, and privatization. Recommendations for an education system that aims to realize Mann's vision of the balance wheel are included. A list of notes and references is included.