The Equity Line contains original analyses, commentary, and “on the ground” stories of students, parents, educators, and activists all over the nation striving to improve education. It chronicles our efforts, as well as those of partners and friends who are working toward the shared goal of closing gaps.
Profile in Education Equity: Aneesh Sohoni, CEO, One Million Degrees
by Jinann BitarJinann Bitar, director of higher education research at EdTrust, recently talked with Aneesh Sohoni, CEO of One Million Degrees (OMD), which is a leader in bols…
How the Gifted Program Changed My Life
by Alexandra TrahanEvery student has a teacher they remember for making a difference in their academic journey — mine was my first-grade teacher, Ms. Vinning. It was my first yea…
Why Education Equity Should Include Climate Justice
Ask a young person about the top issues they care about. Climate change is one of them.Ask a teacher if they want to teach about climate justice. They do.Ask a…
A Time for Climate Action: Schools and the Inflation Reduction Act
by This is Planet EdLast fall, just as students were returning from summer break, schools across the nation were forced to close for “heat days.” The combination of excessive heat…
Under-Representation of Black, Latino, and Native American Undergraduates at Four-Year Universities: A Nationwide View
by Sandra Perez and Omar IbrahimIn 2020, EdTrust released a report titled, “Segregation Forever?,” which found that Black and Latino students are grossly underrepresented at selective public …
Introducing Our Graduate Student Advisory Council
by Blair Wriston and Jiaxin Jessie WangWe are excited to announce the formation of our Graduate Student Advisory Council to support our emerging line of work on race, disability, and equity.The Grad…
Focusing on the Intersection of Race, Disability, and Equity
by Jiaxin Jessie Wang and Blair WristonWe are proud to announce our new line of work on race, disability, and equity. While EdTrust has historically supported disability advocacy organizations and e…
Resource Equity in Action: Developing an Advocacy Campaign for Resource Equity
by Ed TrustAll students deserve to attend school in communities where educational resources like funding, high-quality teachers, and rigorous content are distributed fair…
Fighting for a Better Future for Transgender Youth
by Brian DittmeierFor LGBTQI+ students, the first three months of 2024 continue to highlight the urgency in pushing back against the sustained assault on transgender youth and t…
Faculty Diversity and Mentors of Color Are Keys to Success for Black Women in Graduate School
by Antoinette J. WallerFaculty diversity and student success go hand in hand for Black women. Research shows how having mentors in graduate school with whom students can identify can…
2024-25 Better FAFSA Advocacy FAQs
by Ed TrustIn December 2020, Congress passed the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act that mandated a new, simpler Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which …
Introducing our Third Cohort of Justice Fellows
Everyone deserves a chance — and some people need a second, maybe even a third. Here at EdTrust, we believe that every student should get a high-quality educat…
Avoiding The Talk: A Closer Look at Educator Influence on Racial Disparities in School Discipline
by Eric DuncanEarlier this year, a friend asked me to speak to her 10-year-old son about the importance of school and why he needed to remain focused and engaged. Listening …
What the Most Recent CRDC Can Tell Us About Student Discipline
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the long-awaited data from the 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — disaggregated information that is usual…
The New CRDC Data Is Out: What To Be Excited About and What to Watch For
by Ivy MorganLong-awaited data from the most recent Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) has been released. This new data from the 2020-21 school year provides an important,…
Highlighting the Afro in Afro-Latinidad
by Manny ZapataGrowing up, I was immersed in Latin culture all the time: watching baseball with my dad, eating my mom's delicious arroz con pollo guisado (rice with stewed ch…
Breaking Down the Nation’s Math Scores
by Kristen Hengtgen and Hector BiaggiThe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or the Nation’s Report Card, released its 2022 math test scores in late 2023, and the results were dist…
Profiles in Education Equity: Byron Johns, Co-Founder, Black & Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence
by Ed TrustByron A. Johns is the co-founder of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence (BBC), working with Identity, a Latino advocacy organiz…
Why We Launched the New York Campaign for Early Literacy
by Jeff SminkRochester, New York is my hometown. My grandparents emigrated there nearly 100 years ago, and my mother is a graduate of the Rochester City School District. I …
3 Things You Need to Know About Ongoing Reading Reform Efforts
On a road trip as a child, my brother and I proudly corrected a “mistake” my father made, and he sarcastically joked that us learning how to read was the worst…