EDEquity Inc., was a critical race theory-influenced education consulting firm based in Rancho Cucamonga, California. [1] Its registration was suspended in August 2021 [2] following the death of its founder and CEO Edwin Javius. [3]
EDEquity conducted critical race theory-inspired workshops on leadership and classroom instructional support, equity in Common Core Education, a so-called equity walk, [4] and state equity certification training. [5] Its white paper on educational equity claims that the structure of American schools was designed to “accelerate those students and families who are able to confirm and validate a middle-class and Euro-centric construct” [6] and says “privileged middle-class white parents” believe in transformation for others but not their children. [7]
EDEquity leadership also said California students weren’t learning because black and Hispanic students were being forced to conform to teaching strategies for white and Asian students [8] and compared school culture to “fresh water” and black culture to “saltwater.” [9]
History and Leadership
EDEquity was founded as Scholastic Unlimited Inc. in 2003. In 2004 that became EDEquity, Inc. [10] EDEquity’s registration was suspended in August 2021 [11] following the death of its founder and CEO Edwin Javius. [12]
Edwin Javius was the founder and CEO of EDEquity [13] until his death in March 2020. [14] Javius believed the critical race theory-inspired concept of equity was “the most important issue facing 21st century schools” [15] and the structure of American schools was “designed to accelerate those students and families who are able to confirm and validate a middle-class and Euro-centric construct.” [16]
Javius won California’s 2001 School Administrator Valuing Diversity Award and the 2010 NAACP Silicon Valley Educator of the Year Award. [17] He held a M.A. in urban leadership from Fresno Pacific University and an undergraduate degree from the University of California, where he played basketball. [18]
Activities and Funding
EDEquity Inc., was a California-based critical race theory-inspired education activist organization that aimed to help teachers “teach better” [19] and identify and eradicate institutional and instructional barriers within the system that “prohibit excellence in adult and student outcomes. [20] EDEquity’s teacher programming was based on the organization’s principles of equity: awareness, attitude, analysis, action, and accountability. [21]
This programming included critical race theory-inspired workshops on leadership and classroom instructional support, equity in Common Core Education, a so-called “equity walk,” [22] and state-level equity certification training. [23]
EDEquity’s white paper on educational equity says the structure of American schools was designed to “accelerate those students and families who are able to confirm and validate a middle-class and Euro-centric construct” [24] and says “privileged middle-class white parents” believe in transformation for others, but not their own children. [25]
In lectures in his role as EDEquity CEO, Edwin Javius said white educators will lose their “teacher privilege card” first, [26] said students in California weren’t learning because black and Hispanic students were being forced to conform to teaching strategies for white and Asian students, [27] and called school culture “fresh water” and black culture “salt water” while lamenting that culture, race, and socioeconomic topics have been taboo in schools. [28] “Making Cultural Connections in Lessons.” YouTube. Uploaded July 3, 2009. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W36g11iueIg.[/note]
EDEquity, Inc.’s partners included the New Teacher Center, California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA), California Alliance of African American Educators, the NAACP, School Improvement Network, and Educational Empowerment. [29]
Funding and Controversy
EDEquity received its funding from program and service fees, including $342,000 of contracts from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District from 2018 to 2020 [30] and a $30,000 contract from Cedar Rapid Community School District. [31]
In 2016, the Iowa City Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, terminated its contract with EDEquity due to Javius allegedly misrepresenting his educational background and his alleged involvement in a pending plagiarism lawsuit. [32] [33]
EDEquity’s other contracts included schools in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Salt Lake City, Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada; Pomona, California; San Jose, California; and Nova Scotia, Canada. [34] [35]