Nearly three decades ago, EdTrust released one of its first publications, Good Teaching Matters, offering a clear-eyed look at the state of education in America and the persistent inequities that were holding too many students back. While the context has evolved, the core findings remain strikingly familiar.

At the heart of that early report was a simple but urgent truth: not all students were being given the same opportunities to succeed, and those disparities were not accidental. They were the result of systemic decisions about who gets access to rigorous coursework, experienced teachers, and the resources needed to thrive.

As the report noted at the time, “the differences in student achievement are not the result of differences in ability, but differences in the opportunities provided to them.” That insight remains just as powerful, and just as relevant today.

We know that when students are held to high expectations, supported by well-prepared and diverse educators, and given access to rigorous, engaging learning opportunities, they succeed. We know that equitable funding, strong accountability systems, and meaningful family and community engagement makes a difference.

Good Teaching Matters highlighted stark gaps in achievement between students from low-income backgrounds and their more affluent peers, as well as between students of color and white students. It called attention to how schools serving traditionally underserved communities were too often expected to do more with less — less funding, fewer experienced educators, and lower expectations.

Perhaps most importantly, the report challenged the notion that these outcomes were inevitable. Instead, it made the case that equity is a matter of will, not possibility.

Fast forward to today, and that message still resonates. Recent data from NAEP scores to college access and completion rates continues to show that opportunity gaps persist. Black students, Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds are still less likely to have access to advanced coursework, more likely to attend under-resourced schools, and too often left out of the policy decisions that shape their educational experiences. At the same time, the stakes have only grown higher.

In today’s rapidly changing economy, a high-quality and rigorous education is more than a pathway; it is a prerequisite. The consequences of inequitable systems are not just academic; they shape workforce opportunities, economic mobility, and the long-term health of individuals and our communities.

And yet, even more than we did in 1998, we know what works — and we have 30 years of research and data to prove it.

We know that when students are held to high expectations, supported by well-prepared and diverse educators, and given access to rigorous, engaging learning opportunities, they succeed. We know that equitable funding, strong accountability systems, and meaningful family and community engagement makes a difference.

As we celebrate EdTrust’s 30th anniversary, revisiting this early publication is both a reminder and a call to action. The challenges outlined then are not relics of the past; they are the unfinished work of the present.

But so, too, is the vision.

For 30 years, EdTrust has stood firm in the belief that all students — regardless of race, background, or circumstance — deserve access to an excellent education. That belief continues to guide our work today, as we advocate for policies and practices that expand opportunity, protect civil rights, and ensure that every student is seen, supported, and set up to succeed.

The more things change, the clearer it becomes: the path forward has always been in front of us.

The question is whether we will choose it.