Minding the Marginalized Students Through Inclusion, Justice, and Hope: Daring to Transform Educational Inequities

While the issue of advancing equity occupies the pages of many education journals across the world and pursuing it in schools and classrooms is a common instructional goal, there is an obvious absence of established school policies combined with pedagogies on how to achieve educational equity.

Therefore, equity solution driven by inclusion, justice, and hope is needed to transform the current systemic educational inequities. To ensure and sustain the notion that all children have the opportunities they need to develop, succeed, and meet their potential, it is imperative that we move the discussion about the impact of education from celebrating the academic gain of a few, to the needs of the many marginalized students who are often discounted and dehumanized.

Jose W. Lalas has been involved in teacher education for 32 years as a faculty in both public and private universities. Prior to his teacher education experience, Jose has been a junior high school teacher. He has served as an associate dean, director of teacher education, and coordinator of the teaching credential program. Currently, he is Professor of Literacy and Teacher Education and directs the University of Redlands’ Center for Educational Justice. He continues to serve as a school board member in Corona-Norco Unified School District for 25 years.
Heidi Luv Strikwerda has been involved in education for 15 years as a teacher, administrator, and adjunct professor at the University of Redlands. She is a research-based intellect and is a passionate advocate in making equitable changes for all students. Heidi Strikwerda completed her Ed.D. in Leadership for Educational Justice at the University of Redlands. Her research is ground-breaking and needed immensely in education, as she has theoretically and pragmatically made hope visible.