Exclusionary practices in education are creating moral blind spots in students that perpetuate systemic inequalities. These blind spots prevent individuals from recognizing and understanding the oppressive systems they are part of, leading to further marginalization and exploitation of minority groups. This article will explore how exclusionary policies in education can lead to these consequences and suggest ways to counteract them.
Let's consider what constitutes exclusion in education. Exclusion is when certain groups or people are denied access to educational opportunities due to their race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. This can take many forms such as discrimination against LGBTQ+ students, segregation based on skin color, exclusion based on income level, barriers for disabled students, and prejudice against Muslims. When this happens, it creates an uneven playing field where some students have more resources than others to succeed academically.
The consequences of exclusion are far-reaching and go beyond the individual. Structural inequality refers to the way society is organized that favors one group over another through institutionalized power structures like government, media, economy, religion, and education. When certain groups are excluded from educational institutions, they face challenges accessing jobs, housing, healthcare, public services, and other necessities. They may also experience lower self-esteem, poorer mental health, and reduced social mobility. As a result, they become dependent on charitable organizations and government assistance which reinforces their subordinate position in society.
It is not just those who are directly impacted by exclusion that suffer; everyone else becomes complicit in perpetuating these systems of oppression. Moral blind spots refer to our inability to see how systemic problems affect us personally even though we benefit from them.
White privilege blinds us to racism because it allows us to ignore the daily struggles of nonwhite individuals while benefiting from unearned advantages due to our skin tone. Similarly, ableism prevents us from seeing how able-bodied people have access to better opportunities at the expense of disabled persons. By ignoring these structural issues, we remain ignorant about their impact and contribute to their persistence.
To counteract exclusionary practices in education, we must acknowledge our privileges and work towards dismantling systemic inequalities. This includes advocating for inclusion policies in schools such as affirmative action or special education programs, investing in more diverse teaching staffs, and promoting anti-racist and inclusive curriculums. It also involves educating ourselves about intersectionality so we can understand how different forms of discrimination intersect with each other to create complex barriers.
We need to hold ourselves accountable for our role in upholding these systems by questioning our beliefs and actions.
Excluding certain groups from educational institutions creates moral blind spots that perpetuate systemic inequality. These blind spots prevent us from recognizing the harmful effects of systemic oppression on marginalized communities and perpetuate cycles of exploitation. To break this cycle, we must challenge exclusionary practices, recognize our complicity, and strive for a more just society where everyone has equal access to resources and opportunities.
How does exclusion in education create moral blind spots that perpetuate structural inequality?
The issue of exclusion in education can have far-reaching consequences on an individual's moral compass. When someone is denied access to quality education due to factors such as their socioeconomic status, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, they are at risk of developing a skewed worldview that fails to recognize the value of others who do not share their experience.