P-12 Policy, Research & Practice
Today’s student body is more diverse and multicultural as ever — and in classrooms across America, there are so many students of color and students from low-income backgrounds who are eager to learn and have big dreams. However, the reality is they often remain underserved at their schools. What’s more, the educator workforce and curricula do not reflect the growing needs of students to learn in a culturally rich and academically rigorous setting.
EdTrust seeks to close opportunity gaps that separate students of color and students from low-income backgrounds from their White, more affluent peers. To disrupt these systems of inequity, EdTrust works alongside policymakers, advocates, and educators to create meaningful change at the national, state, and local levels. Equipped with data and research, we work to eliminate injustices and set up educators to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments at our nation’s schools.
Higher Education Policy & Research
The majority of jobs in the U.S. now requires some postsecondary education. However, many students who arrive on a college campus don’t complete their college education — oftentimes, they are often saddled with student debt without that valuable degree in hand. And unfortunately, race, ethnicity, and family income continue to factor into a college student’s ability to enroll in, afford, and complete college.
EdTrust works to ensure that Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds have greater access to colleges and universities, and that those institutions make college affordable, welcoming, and enroll students and hire faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.
Federal Advocacy
EdTrust brings together advocates and national thought partners with congressional staff, executive agency staff, and stakeholders from the education, civil rights, disability, and business communities to achieve and implement federal policies that advance education equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. We use policy analysis, messaging, and legislative and regulatory strategic thought to educate, engage, and build demand for EdTrust’s education equity agenda among, and alongside, federal policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates and partners.
State Advocacy
In certain states, EdTrust seeks to drive conversations about how the state’s public education system can better serve students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, pre-K through college. We bridge policy and community by engaging and equipping education stakeholders, including civic organizations, education equity coalitions, thought leaders, educators, policymakers, families, and youth. Working alongside advocates, EdTrust draws attention to inequities that disproportionately impact underserved students; equips partners with actionable and accessible advocacy tools; and builds capacity and collective will to demand and secure equity-advancing policy and practice.