Diversity and social justice – Beyond motherhood and apple pie

The majority of teachers are aware that inequalities impact on the lives of individual pupils. For others, there is also deeper awareness of how inequalities impact at community and societal levels. For those who work in areas of multiple deprivation, many are reminded on a daily basis of the ‘everydayness’ of coping or survival for their pupils and their families. However, research has also found that teacher and student teacher confidence levels on addressing equality and discrimination issues vary depending on the issue and the context. This article considers why it is important for teacher personal commitment to equality issues to be underpinned by an understanding of social justice concepts and frameworks.