Does the American educational system provide equal opportunity to all students regardless of socioeconomic status? According to a new organization on campus, the answer might be no.
Unlocked, a new student-run organization working to achieve educational equality in schools, said “9 [percent] of low-income students obtain a bachelor’s degree compared to 54 [percent] of students from wealthy backgrounds.” This group is searching for ways to change these numbers.
“We believe every student has the ability and the human right to achieve academic excellence. The pursuit of knowledge is one of those inalienable rights that we all deserve,” David Phelps, a senior majoring in civil engineering and president of Unlocked, said.
Named after the desire not to be “locked in” to any one affiliation, bias or belief, Unlocked’s goal is to open educational opportunities for all students regardless of race, gender or economic standing, Phelps said.
“I don’t think that [it] is a fair system that some kids can be born and be set that far ahead or that far behind in terms of opportunity. That initial opportunity, especially for kids who don’t have much say, I think is really, really important,” said Justin Heck, a junior majoring in political science and economics and the director of marketing for Unlocked.
Phelps and DJ Jackson, a senior majoring in history and vice president of Unlocked, had the idea of creating the group a year and a half ago. After deciding against affiliating with a national organization in order to be more community-focused, Phelps and Jackson decided to start a new group.
“We wanted to create an open community, and we thought we could create that most effectively by creating something new,” Phelps said.
Unlocked’s methods for achieving its vision of educational equality include policy and practice, Phelps said. The organization wants to begin the year by raising UA students’ awareness of educational disparities through conversations about education policies, both past and present. The group will facilitate these discussions by hosting guest speakers at meetings that will lecture on controversial policies and programs such as No Child Left Behind and Teach for America. Education policies included in these conversations are not limited to just Alabama or United States policies. Unlocked also wants to provide a better and broader understanding of all education strategies worldwide in an effort to find the best solution, Phelps said.
“We want to explore everything that’s out there and bring it all back to our community and try to empower the students, the teachers and leaders that are here,” said Phelps.
Unlocked also focuses on an active participation in education and the community to combat inequity in schools.
“Our hope is to reach out to as many students as possible. We want to not only inform UA students about educational inequities in Alabama, but to also mobilize students in being a part of the solution to challenges society faces each day in schools,” Jackson said.
The group wants to take these conversations a step further by providing students opportunities to work with local schools. The organization plans to make this happen by working with organizations such as Al’s Pals, the Honors College and the READ program. In addition to this, Unlocked is looking to get middle school students to visit The University of Alabama’s campus in the spring. Phelps said Unlocked wants to “get [the students] exposed to what college life feels like and get them excited that college is a real thing that they can do.”
Unlocked’s first meeting will be Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., though the location is still undecided. For more information about the organization or its first meeting, visit unlocked.ua.edu, like the Unlocked UA Facebook page or follow @UnlockedUA on Twitter.