Growing up as a white, middle-class female in this world has come with its share of

privileges. I was raised naive to the injustices in our society. Although I am not to blame for the

systematic racism in our world, I am responsible for being an advocate for change.

The opportunity gap within the education system drastically discriminates against those

who do not “fit the mold”; primarily students of color and low-socioeconomic status. Unlike the

achievement gap which focuses on the academic success and challenges that are prevalent

between white students and students of color, the opportunity gap asks the more critical question:

“what does privilege have to do with it”. Discipline and exclusionary rates provide evidence of

this opportunity gap in the majority of schools. It is crucial for school counselors to bring

awareness and implement changes to advocate for closing the gap.

In my experience within a Washington elementary school, the school counselor and I

analyzed the disciplinary data for the school. We noticed a large gap between the exclusionary

data of the Black/African American subgroup of students and the White subgroup. The White

subgroup of students was the largest subgroup within the school population while the

Black/African American students were the third largest subgroup. However, the exclusionary

data displayed the Black/African American subgroup as the largest percentage of behavior

violations.

This inequity in the data showed a drastic injustice towards the Black/African American

students of the school community. We were driven to present this information within staff

meetings and supporting the planning and implementation of professional development

opportunities to support staff motivation for change. We launched a book study in which staff

members read and participated in discussions around “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the

Brain” by Zaretta Hammond. I have also had the privilege of attending various Culturally
Responsive Teaching trainings by the Pacific Education Group. The insight I have gained from

these trainings has sparked a fire within me to advocate for change in my school. I have

supported leadership in many staff meetings to share the information from these trainings with

other school employees.

Being a white, female educator in today’s education system comes with the responsibility

for equity advocation. Ignoring the opportunity gaps in the system will do nothing but perpetuate

the racist practices that are in place. I am driven, committed and motivated to continue taking

action against these systems; advocating for all students and the closure of the opportunity gap.