Higher education was at a crossroads even before the COVID-19 crisis. In recent years, the cost of college attendance has risen and student debt levels have exploded. Discussions about debt forgiveness and reconfiguring higher education finance have moved out of wonky policy circles and into public discourse. Meanwhile, the costs of college have risen dramatically in recent years, perhaps exacerbated by decreases in state funding, and leading many institutions of higher education (“IHEs”) to provide online and lower-cost solutions to supplement or replace the “traditional” four-year, residential college—a trend that will be accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. Simultaneously, college demographics have shifted, with an increasing population of “nontraditional” students, including those who are older, lack financial support from parents or other family members, and are more likely to have dependents. Disparities in higher education have had disproportionate, negative, and long-lasting effects on Black and Latino communities. And COVID-19 continues has
Tag: equity
Del. will double funding to settle education equity lawsuit
The state of Delaware has settled a 2018 lawsuit that accused the state of being complicit in the disparities experienced by students who are low income, have disabilities or are English language learners.
As part of the settlement between Gov. John Carney, the NAACP of Delaware and Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, the state will allocate millions of dollars in funding to support students who are most in need.
“Delaware’s current educational resource allocation system does not recognize the additional needs of children living in poverty and English learners. That system is outdated and inequitable,” said Karen Lantz, legal and policy director at the ACLU of Delaware, which represented the plaintiffs along with the national law firm Arnold & Porter and the Community Legal Aid Society.
“Our expectation is that this settlement will begin systemic changes that result in a fundamental shift in how resources are allocated, so every student in
The intersection of race, equity and education :: WRAL.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is Mary Ann Wolf’s “Final Word” from the Oct. 10, 2020 broadcast of Education Matters -“Third Annual Color of Education Summit.” Wolf is president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.
We kicked off our third annual Color of Education Summit and it looked a little different than our first two summits. Keeping everyone’s health and safety a top priority, this year we are holding four virtual summits over the month of October, allowing for an extended spotlight on the intersection of race, equity and education – and likely providing opportunities for even more people to participate from all across NC.
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This spotlight comes at a
New “Testing America’s Freedom” Podcast from NWEA Examines Equity in Education
NWEA, the not-for-profit educational assessment provider, announced today the launch of its new podcast, Testing America’s Freedom. Hosted by Dr. Aaliyah Samuel, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs & Partnerships at NWEA, the episodic series explores the role of race and assessment in American public education through thought-provoking interviews with current and future leaders in education.
Testing America’s Freedom delves deep into the lesser-known history of laws and policies that have perpetuated and exacerbated racial inequities within the education system. Samuel and her guests explore topics such as school funding, the importance of diversity in the education workforce, assessment purposes and design, and their link to modern-day systemic racism, discussing the challenges and opportunities presented by these urgent issues.
“The inequities within our public education system do not exist by accident, they are the result of carefully orchestrated policies that used tools like school funding, divestment and testing to perpetuate
Cedar Rapids student selected for Iowa Department of Education’s state equity committee
CEDAR RAPIDS — Kennedy High School student Rahma Elsheikh — a student leader in getting the Cedar Rapids school board to pursue anti-racism efforts — was one of seven Iowa students to be selected for the Iowa Department of Education’s state equity committee.
The committee’s mission is to ensure equity in education. Its goals include preparing educators to teach in inclusive and diverse classrooms; ensuring continuing education for educators and leaders to achieve equitable outcomes; attract, recruit, retain and promote educators who represent the student population they serve; and develop partnerships with underserved students and families to drive policies, practices and resources that are equitable to close the educational gap.
“I have experienced firsthand the racism, negligence, and lack of representation and only having one Black teacher,” said Elsheikh, 17.
Elsheikh’s experience as a high school student in Cedar Rapids started at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s term in
8 ways universities can improve equity and access
This summer, universities around the world planned for an unprecedented back-to-school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In most universities, centres of teaching and learning are responsible for supporting faculty members’ teaching for more effective student learning and a high quality of education.
Our collaborative research group, based at Université Laval, Concordia University, Florida State University, University of Southern California and San Francisco State University, sought to better understand how universities planned to make sure all students would have access to online learning and be able to participate as courses moved online. Our team met remotely with staff from 19 centres in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Lebanon.
We analyzed publicly shared resources from 78 centres in 23 countries about about how instructors could transform online learning during COVID-19. We also compiled publicly available resources from these centres about ways to address educational equity in
School Board rejects equity policy but votes for continuing discussion of concept | St. Tammany community news
After nearly four hours of piercing public discussion, the St. Tammany Parish School Board on Thursday shifted gears on a proposal to hire a consultant and develop an equity policy for the school district, opting instead to bring together parties from all sides of the controversial concept to figure out a way forward.
Meeting as a committee as a whole, the board voted down a resolution by member Dennis Cousin to engage an external consultant who would “evaluate and develop a strategic equity action plan to ensure that discrimination does not affect outcomes” for students and faculty members. That resolution failed by a 10-3 vote, with Cousin, Lisa Page and Shelta Richardson voting for and Tammy Lamy abstaining.
Board member Ronald Bettencourt then offered a substitute resolution that affirms the school system’s adherence to all federal discrimination laws and supports “ongoing efforts to identify and address any and all areas
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Candidates for Minneapolis school board push for equity in education
Concerns about equity in education are driving candidates running for the Minneapolis school board this fall, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollout of a controversial Comprehensive District Design plan.
Four seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot: incumbent Kim Ellison is facing Michael Dueñes for the at-large seat; Christa Mims and Adriana Cerrillo, both first-time candidates, are running to represent District 4, an area including downtown and neighborhoods near Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska; incumbent KerryJo Felder faces Sharon El-Amin to represent District 2 in north Minneapolis; and incumbent Ira Jourdain is the sole candidate in the district encompassing southwest Minneapolis.
In the primary election for the at-large and District 4 seats, Ellison and Mims received the most votes.
Both Ellison and Dueñes name equity as the top focus in the at-large race. But they disagree on whether the Comprehensive District Design achieves that. The plan,
Michigan Civil Rights commission calls for statewide education equity plan
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission is calling for the creation of a statewide educational equity plan to improve policies, accountability and opportunities for students.
The commission, charged with investigating alleged discrimination, issued a 62-page report on Wednesday after its year-long investigation into equity in K-12 education in Michigan. It met Wednesday to release the report, which can be found here.
“This Commission believes that an adequate education is the key to unlocking a lifetime of opportunities and also is a basic civil right,” said Stacie Clayton, the commission’s chair. “We learned during our education hearings that not all children receive the kind of education they deserve as their birthright.
“We urge policy makers, educators and other stakeholders across the state to view
Report finds ‘significant lack of equity’ in K-12 education, Michigan Civil Rights Commission says
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission released a 62-page report Wednesday, Sept. 30, describing inequities in Michigan’s K-12 education system. The report also detailed recommendations for policy makers and educators to implement to make achieving educational equity a priority in all Michigan schools.
The adoption of the report passed unanimously at a Wednesday Michigan Civil Rights Commission meeting.
Stacie Clayton, Chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, said the report revealed a “significant lack of equity” in Michigan’s K-12 education system.
“This Commission believes that an adequate education is the key to unlocking a lifetime of opportunities and also is a basic civil right,” Clayton said. “We learned during our education hearings that not all children receive the kind of education they deserve as their birthright. We urge policy makers, educators and other stakeholders across the state to view this report as a roadmap they can follow to help schools achieve