Ever felt like you’re running a race where some runners get a massive head start, not because of spread or agility, but because of who they know or their relationships? That feeling isn’t unique to just Hollywood, business, and politics – it’s playing out in our schools too. From the star athlete to the teacher’s pet or the teacher’s kid, preferential treatment is creating a system where connections, not capability, often pave the way to success. Let’s explore how this “favoritism” in education is hurting our school communities and what we can do about it.
Since 2021, a concerning trend has emerged within Van Buren Public Schools in the Van Buren Township School District: educators are allegedly favoring certain students based on prior relationships, parental connections, gender, and perceived academic abilities. This preferential treatment, impacting opportunities and overall student experience, raises questions about fairness and equal access within the district. Among those students who are not favored many are left to feel neglected, targeted, and unsupported.
In an interview with Honors Algebra 2/Algebra 2 Teacher Mr. Said who has been teaching at the high school for ten years when asked what preferential treatment looks like as an educator, he states, “Preferential treatment occurs anytime a teacher is giving a student the benefit of the doubt assuming they knew something (whatever case that may be), based on prior interactions with the student, family connections, or fear of upsetting the student or someone close to them.” He further explains its complexity, “As an educator you never intended to favor other students and make other students feel not favored, it almost can occur without knowing.”
This occurrence without knowing can also be referred to as inherent bias or unconscious bias, defined by the Mayo Clinic as underlying assumptions that skew our perceptions and can significantly impact the classroom environment. These biases, often rooted in our lived experiences and learned behaviors, influence our interactions in subtle but powerful ways. Just as we might unconsciously favor certain individuals within our own social circles like friend groups teachers, without realizing it, can exhibit similar biases in their classrooms.
This can manifest in various forms, from seemingly innocuous actions like rounding grades or dropping test scores for some students while denying the same consideration to others. Or acting on the principle “boys will be boys,” used to excuse disruptive or crude behavior in male students while similar actions in female students are met with reprimanding and consequence. Even maintaining “social” relationships and communication with students outside of school through cell phones, social gatherings, or social media can be a manifestation of this bias, creating a power dynamic that favors certain students over others. These actions, whether intentional or not, establish an implicit hierarchy within the classroom, where some students from certain groups are commonly favored while others from different groups are left feeling targeted and marginalized. This can have a negative impact on their self-esteem, motivation, and ultimately, their academic success brewing the grounds for an, “in spite of you” attitude, that pushes students to their limits.
This raises critical questions: should we implement standardized grading and rounding systems to minimize the influence of individual teacher bias? How can we effectively evaluate teachers on the equity they demonstrate in their classrooms, ensuring that all students are treated fairly and respectfully? Should teachers be allowed to have their own children as students in the classroom? These are complex issues that require careful consideration and open dialogue to create truly equitable learning environments for all.
To expand on these points in another interview with student teacher Mr. Bauzon from the University of Michigan he states, “Preferential treatment can almost be used as something that can be advantageous if you can learn to work the system. It’s helped me in college being favored by the professors and makes the experience smoother.” So what should students do to help them navigate a system that is seemingly stacked against them?
Preferential treatment is all around us, taking the time to step back and acknowledge the favoritism and bias that plays out within a school system can allow teachers and faculty in schools the opportunity to address and fix the equitable issues that arise within their system.
At the end of the day, it’s human nature to have inherent bias. Preferential treatment can be both deliberate and unintentional. Present across every area of life, school, the workplace, and even friend groups. It’s about observing the treatment, arming yourself with the mechanism of advocacy, and patience, and learning how to work within the system to alter the narrative, especially when those a part of it are resistant to changing it themselves.
Addressing and accepting the fact that this bias occurs allows schools the opportunity to grow in understanding and move forward. Increasing equity will help establish a school community where everyone feels like they are valued, supported, and belong. Human feelings that should be protected and reinforced. So, the next time you find yourself doing something that you may not do for someone else, question, “why” and how that would make you feel.
