A webinar series showcasing how to effectively allocate resources in order to create more inclusive learning environments for students.
November 18, 2024 by EdTrust 
All students deserve to experience inclusive learning environments that holistically support their social, emotional, and academic development. However, with the limited number of resources available to school and district leaders to create these learning environments, it is up to advocates to guide these leaders towards making equitable, evidence-based resource allocation decisions.
In this series, EdTrust showcases how developing positive school environments is a key component in the fight for resource equity and discusses how advocates can utilize the Alliance for Resource Equity’s toolkit to effectively create learning environments that support and affirm students of all backgrounds. Throughout the series we dive deep into three components of positive school environments – family & community engagement, positive discipline, and chronic absenteeism – to showcase how addressing each of these topics is integral to building inclusive school environments that center the needs of the most marginalized students.
In this first webinar in our series, EdTrust shares family engagement resources that emphasize the critical need to build authentic relationships with families, particularly those from underserved communities, in order to develop welcoming school environments for students. EdTrust experts also break down the various ways in which local, state, and federal leaders can better allocate resources to support this work. We then engage in a panel discussion with partners from Baltimore City Public Schools, the Institute for Educational Leadership, and the National Center for Families Learning to discuss effective strategies for building and maintaining authentic family relationships in schools.
While school discipline policies are broadly intended to foster a high-quality learning environment by maintaining safety in the classroom, far too often schools adopt measures that harm a student’s social, emotional, academic, and in some cases, physical health and well-being. In this session, EdTrust experts break down which strategies truly create safe learning environments by holding students accountable while positively supporting their development. We then engage in a fireside chat with our partners at Citizens for Juvenile Justice, to discuss using evidence-based discipline practices to create safe and inclusive schools, as well as the risks of misusing more punitive practices which often disproportionately harm students of color.
Chronic absenteeism can be directly linked to districts’ challenges in creating positive and inviting learning environments for students. Here, EdTrust experts highlight some of the underlying factors influencing chronic absenteeism, and how equitable resource allocation decisions such as those discussed in the previous two webinars can help address these various root causes. Our panel of experts from Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR), the Learning Policy Institute, and Detroit Lakes High School then identify bright spots and focus on how members of the school community can play a role in using evidence-based practices to improve chronic absenteeism.
October 09, 2024 by Nicholas Munyan-Penney EdTrust brought together 8 advocacy orgs from around the country for the first meeting of the ARE’s Local Advocacy Cohort.
April 05, 2024 by EdTrust All students deserve to attend school in communities where educational resources like funding, high-quality teachers, and rigorous content are distributed fairly.
February 24, 2020 by Ary Amerikaner For nearly three decades, The Education Trust has worked alongside community organizers, grassroots organizations, and advocates to transform schools into places that serve all students well, especially those who are…
