What is a Wicked Problem?
“A wicked problem has innumerable causes, is tough to describe, and doesn’t have a right answer.” (Blumenthal, 2017)
Basically, wicked problems are complex all around. Hard to define. Hard to solve.
What is the Opportunity Gap?
“The opportunity gap is the way that uncontrollable life factors like race, language, economic, and family situations can contribute to lower rates of success in educational achievement, career prospects, and other life aspirations.” (Close the Gap Foundation, 2022)
There are so many factors that contribute to the opportunity gap in the United States. So many that it can feel daunting to even begin to try and attempt a solution. They all seem to fall so short of the vastness and deep-rootedness of the issue.
If you know me well as an educator, you might know how big a fan I am of Crash Course. Incredible resource. Here's their YouTube page. So many high quality explanations of so many different topics.
Here is a pertinent video to when it comes to discussing the opportunity gap.
Quickly, this video from their Sociology class touches on the vastness of the issue.
Why is this important to me?
Everyone matters.
Every person deserves to be heard, validated and seen.
Everyone should have access to the same resources.
I care about others and see the ways that the opportunity gap has affected so many. I think about my students in particular. This is a messy problem with no one clear solution but that doesn’t mean I just throw in the towel. I want to do my part with whatever I have, however little, to support students and close the opportunity gap.
Here’s a poster my peers Maura, Paige and I made. On it we describe the wicked problem of the opportunity gap, propose some solutions and connect it to our coursework.
How does the opportunity gap show up in your context?
If you had unlimited resources, what would you do to begin to fix this wicked problem? What’s a wicked problem in education that’s important to you?
Contact me! I'd love to hear your thoughts,
Caitlyn Tustin
Sources:
Blumenthal, H. (2017, March 14). Wicked problems have no stopping rule. Digital Insider.
https://diginsider.com/tag/wicked-problems-have-no-stopping-rule/
Close the Gap Foundation . (2022). Opportunity gap. Close the Gap Foundation.
https://www.closethegapfoundation.org/glossary/opportunity-gap
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