Equity

Equity refers to a state of affairs that is just, or fair. In regard to educational policy and practice, equity is a standard that guides decision-making by legislators, courts, administrators, and faculty about who to involve in higher education, to what extent, and with what quality of educational provision. When decision-makers are guided by equity as a standard of policy and practice, they seek to create a fair distribution of educational opportunities and rewards to all members of society.

As this entry aims to show, the term equity has different definitions depending on the underlying philosophy of justice that is used to make a case for equity. When higher education institutions face pressure to adopt equitable practices, operational definitions of equity have a strong influence on ...