Glossary

Attenuate

to reduce the force, effect, or value of something

Catchment areas

the area of a city, town, etc., from which a school's students are drawn

Classless society

refers to a society in which no one is born into a social class. Distinctions of wealth, income, education, culture, or social network might arise and would only be determined by individual experience and achievement in such a society.

Cognizant

to be aware of

De-facto

in fact, or in effect, whether by right or not

Diversity

the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of various/varying genders, sexual orientations, etc.

Equity

the quality of being fair and impartial; equity and equality are not the same thing

Exacerbation

the process of making a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse

Food insecurity

Household food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food because of income or finances. It is a serious public health issue in Canada as one in eight Canadian households do not have enough money to buy sufficient nutritious food.

Identity categories

are usually defined by some physical, social, and mental characteristics of individuals. Examples of social identity categories are race/ethnicity, gender, social class/socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, (dis)abilities, and religion/religious beliefs.

Income inequality

the extent to which income is distributed unevenly in a group of people

Innocuous

not harmful or offensive

Learning outcomes

are statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular assignment, class, course, or program, and help students understand why that knowledge and those skills will be useful to them. They focus on the context and potential applications of knowledge and skills, help students connect learning in various contexts, and help guide assessment and evaluation.

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

income threshold below which a family will likely devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family

Low Income Measure (LIM)

defines low income as being below a fixed percentage of income. A household is considered low income if its income is below 50% of median household incomes. It is, therefore, a relative measure of low income.

Marginalized

to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group

Market Basket Measure (MBM)

a measure of low income based on the cost of a specific basket of goods and services representing a modest, basic standard of living. It includes the costs of food, clothing, footwear, transportation, shelter and other expenses for a reference family of two adults (aged 25 to 49) and two children (aged 9 and 13).

Minimum wage

is the lowest amount a worker can be legally paid for their work. Most countries have a nation-wide minimum wage that all workers must be paid. Canada's minimum wage, however, is set by each province and territory.

Mundane

dull and ordinary

Other

a set of dynamics, processes, and structures that engender marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences based on group identities

Phenomenon/phenomena (pl.)

the influences that shape people's behavior and opinions

Poverty

Essentially, poverty refers to lacking enough resources to provide the necessities of life - food, clean water, shelter and clothing. But in today’s world, that can be extended to include access to health care, education and even transportation.

Pragmatic

dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations

Priority schools

schools requiring more attention, resources, and extra support programs to close the student achievement gap

Privilege

a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group

Racialized families

Racialized persons are defined as individuals who are non-Caucasian. Factors such as discrimination, language barriers, historical trauma and colonization can have a cumulative effect on these families.

Racism

prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized

Resource difference

School resources mean any funds, facilities or resources (including equipment and consumables, use/supply of heat, light or power) of a particular school

Rudimentary

involving or limited to basic principles

Segregated schools

segregation can be considered a measure of how students are distributed across schools within school systems (e.g., districts or cities) that draw from the same students

Sexism

prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex

Standardized test

any form of test that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and that (2) is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students.

Subsistence

the action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level

Systemic oppression

is the intentional disadvantaging of groups of people based on their identity while advantaging members of the dominant group (gender, race, class, sexual orientation, language, etc.)

The great leveler

Historically, education has often been seen as the great leveler—a mechanism that can allow even those from the poorest circumstances to succeed and climb up the socioeconomic ladder. But as a growing body of research has shown, educational systems can entrench rather than weaken inequality.

Vernacular

the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region

Vulnerable populations

Vulnerable and at-risk populations refer to children, youth, students, and schools that are most vulnerable or at risk of disparities in access, service use, and outcomes.

License

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Thinking Critically About Classrooms and Income Inequality Copyright © 2022 by Valda Leighteizer and Sonya Singer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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