As Oak Park and River Forest introduce equity policies in their schools and potentially in village government, striving to create a more equitable playing field for residents, three local thought leaders immersed in the work of equity express their thoughts on what equity means here at home and why working towards it is so important.

As Oak Park and River Forest work to come to grips with the concept of racial equity – both in our schools and in the wider community – here's another term to factor into the complex conversation and consciousness-raising ahead of us.

A typical pre-school day might look like a lot of fun and games for the under five set: a teacher leads a small group in Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes; children tell stories and play dress up; a cooking demonstration yields a tasty snack.  

The tween and early teen years are universally acknowledged as challenging. With changing bodies, fluid friend groups, multiple extracurricular activities and higher expectations at school, the middle years can be tough to navigate.