Education Policy, Equity, and Justice Minor (EDUC)

College of Education
2311 Benjamin Building
301-405-3324

School of Public Policy
Thurgood Marshall Hall
301-405-6330

Program Director:   Dr. Sarah C. K. Moore

The minor in Education Policy, Equity, and Justice is jointly offered by the College of Education and the School of Public Policy. You can learn more here.

The minor in Education Policy, Equity, and Justice (EPEJ) explores the powerful historical, social, economic, political, and cultural roles that systems of schooling play in the United States and elsewhere. It delves into the barriers and opportunities uniquely associated with the social construct of education and interrogates its implicit and explicit influences on both individuals and society. The Education Policy, Equity, and Justice minor offers students the knowledge and analytical skills to understand and assess the complex intersectionality of education, politics, policy, democracy, inequality, and power structures that govern societies. 

The Education Policy, Equity, and Justice minor welcomes students from all majors who are interested in understanding how schools shape society and vice versa and why they elusively and pervasively maintain power structures that privilege monolithic caste systems. The program’s primary goals involve: identifying the role of education and schools as a change agent for society, particularly around social justice and equity; interrogating which powers administer and oversee schools; exploring how individuals and groups can impact change in the field of education and related areas; and, what educational approaches yield the most promising outcomes for improving schools and communities. 

Electives are available from a wide range of Departments and topic areas, including from Counseling and Human Development, Education and Higher Education, Public Policy, and TLPL.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Articulate the historical and contemporary purposes of schooling as an equalizing force and ‘public good’ for advancing equity and social justice.
2. Explain and detail the complex social, political and policy systems that influence, maintain, and interrupt power in educational settings and systems of schooling.
3. Identify and explain in detail major ideas that drive policy debates in education, their primary sources, and how these often derive from actors and agencies outside the school system settings.
4. Identify how competing social, economic, and political interests shape educational opportunities, barriers, and experiences and ultimately define what constitutes quality in schools in a range of areas.
5. Articulate in a manner accessible to a wide range of stakeholders from various backgrounds (caregivers, community leaders, School Board members, policymakers, educators, school and district leaders, elected officials) the key drivers impacting how schools establish, implement, and assess curriculum, teaching, and learning.
6. Explain in detail how and why both power structures and inequality manifest in schools and how sustained advocacy efforts can counteract imbalances.

Students will choose classes within different topical areas that provide a well-rounded perspective on educational studies, equity, and social justice. When choosing elective courses, students must select 2 classes at the 300 or 400 level. Themes of equity and social justice are woven throughout the curriculum.

¹

Students choose from a list of pre-approved electives or may propose other courses for review by Minor advisors to count as electives.