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.
Black Women’s Mental Health and the Student Debt Crisis
Any moment now, the Biden administration will announce its plan to forgive student debt as the moratorium on loan payments will expire at the end of this month…
Restorative Justice Not School Suspensions: Disciplinary Reforms Help Students and Teachers Connect
by Gabriel ClarkAs students head back to school, they’re still coping with the complicated effects of the pandemic and the transition from virtual schooling back to more struc…
HBCU Enrollment is on the Rise. But On-Campus Housing is Scarce. Black College Students Demand Solutions
by Yemisi BadmusAccording to a recent New York Times article, Black students across the nation have been flocking to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to fi…
A Call for Less Harsh School Discipline Policies, Including Dress Codes
by Tameia WilliamsMounting research shows that students of color, and students who are disabled often receive harsher punishment in the school system as opposed to their White p…
July 2022 Update: Addressing Unfinished Learning, Student Debt, Justice-Impacted Students, and More
by Denise ForteIn Washington D.C. and across the country, Ed Trust has helped steer the nation’s attention on the scale and scope of unfinished learning due to the pandemic. …
It’s Time to Double the Pell Grant
I am proud to be the oldest son of Wilfredo and Lillian Del Pilar. Born in Puerto Rico, my father was a protestant minister. My mother — a New York native — wo…
A Dream Project, Staff Shortages, and Canceling the Ku Klux Klan—Wait, What?
by Karin ChenowethIn Episode 4, we hear from Melinda Young, superintendent of Steubenville City Public Schools, Kayla Whitlatch, Steubenville’s treasurer, and Lynnett Gorman, th…
Why Statewide Assessments Matter: Parents Need to Know How Their Children Are Doing
by Jerusha CapleAs a mom of three children, I make lots of decisions every day about how to support their individual needs. I’m involved in my children’s education and engage …
Leading the Way
by Karin ChenowethIn Episode 3, leaders in two states explain how they are using ESSER funds to pursue statewide improvement efforts. In Delaware, recently retired state superin…
Profiles in Education Equity: Judith Bradley, Founder of JackBeNimble
by Ed TrustJudith Bradley is founder and managing partner of JackBeNimble, a nonprofit organization based in Kentucky that is dedicated to re-imagining special education …
Addressing Learning Needs
by Karin ChenowethIn Episode 2, we sit down with Tricia McManus, superintendent of Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, who says that her district is making the most of its rel…
Creating More Equitable Schools Amid a Pandemic. Yes, it Can Be Done!
by Josh ParrishThe last big shock to the educational system before the COVID-19 pandemic was the Great Recession of 2008, which decimated K-12 budgets, cost 300,000 jobs acro…
Where Are All Those Dollars Going?
by Karin ChenowethIn Episode 1, we talk about the big picture with Phyllis Jordan of FutureEd, a Washington think tank that has been tracking how districts are spending the mone…
Why Assessments Matter: Data Quality is Essential for Education Equity
by Brenda BergWhen advocates say, “We all know what’s happening,” and are only armed with anecdotes and not data, it is hard for policymakers to distinguish between what is …
Speaking Out and Showing Up for LGBTQ+ Students
by Blair Wriston and Bonnie WashickLast month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits educators from teaching children in kindergarten through th…
How are Schools & Districts Using the Money That the Federal Government Has Provided to Help Them Get Through the COVID Crisis?
by Karin ChenowethAre you wondering how school districts are spending the money the federal government sent them to get through the COVID crisis? Karin Chenoweth, a writer-in-re…
A Transparent Attempt to Divide Parents from Their Children’s Schools
by William RodickPulitzer Prize winner and intellectual icon Toni Morrison has received national attention that has forced students to fight for the right to high-quality educa…
The First Cohort of Justice Policy Fellows Graduate
"History teaches us that change is often made when an organized segment of those most affected, leading in solidarity with allies, disrupt business as usual."—…
Profiles in Education Equity – Dina Walker President and CEO, BLU Educational Foundation
by Ed TrustDina Walker has over 20 years of experience working with educational, government, and community organizations. As president and CEO of BLU Educational Foundati…
Student Voice: Students are the Collateral Damage in Adults’ Culture War
by Kayla HiggsIn another attempt to silence the history and experience of Black and Brown communities and coddle White guilt, certain factions are engaging in a political cu…
