Our Role in Supporting Equity in Education

[Chuck_Linsmeier]

Our mission is to inspire what’s possible for every learner. We pursue this mission with intention, not by mandate. We envision and create products that reach the diverse populations of students we serve in the classroom; more so, the inherent benefits of diverse and inclusive school environments motivate our research, editorial development, and pedagogical strategies to reduce the inherent gaps in outcomes that persist along racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, and cultural lines. The end of one set of government policies nor the onset of another will cause us to stray from the values that serve as a catalyst for our actions. 

Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, effectively ending affirmative action policies relying on race as a determinant for admission to public and private colleges and universities has engendered a lot of reaction. Advocates for affirmative action see this ruling as a closure of yet another avenue for socioeconomic and class mobility for underrepresented racial minorities; or view the decision as a striking and racially-motivated reaction to thwart progress of Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Those skeptical of government policies or the implementation of affirmative action programs may view the ruling as a politically divisive if warranted decision to retire a well-intentioned policy that had outlived its effectiveness. Proponents might applaud the end of a race-centric policy as an opportunity to transition away from a race-driven perspective of American society. These arguments alone fail to represent the range of emotions and perspectives in respectful discourse felt by our colleagues and in our communities.

We have stated repeatedly at Macmillan Learning that we believe classrooms should be places where ideas are fostered, engaged with, and critiqued; fair debate about affirmative action policies and programs has been presented in the educational titles we publish. But debates about public policy should not be mistaken for indifference to the quality and composition of our classrooms. 

We envision a world in which every learner succeeds and where we play an important role in making that possibility a reality. Whether the mechanism that makes this vision a reality is government policy, a shift in cultural zeitgeist, community care, or by some other means, we recognize that diverse perspectives are a catalyst for inclusive thought. and a more engaged community of learners. We support an educational ecosystem that helps communities thrive, be less limited by social, economic, and cultural constraints, and enable colleges and universities to encourage a student experience that enriches each student, exposes them to a diversity of perspectives, and serves as a means to raise the prospects for all while reducing the equity gap experienced by so many.