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.
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To be a Positive Light for Latino Students
by Sarahi MonterreyAt a young age, I became conscious of issues of equity. My family emigrated in 1981 from El Salvador — a country that was torn apart by a civil war caused by i…
Why We Need to Protect the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) from Secretary DeVos’ Proposed Cuts
What happened: The Trump administration proposed several changes to the U.S. Department of Education's biennial Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). Public com…
Getting To & Through College: Joscelyn Guzman
More Latinos are going to college than ever before, but as Joscelyn Guzman, a first-generation Mexican-American learned firsthand, getting there is the first o…
Second Chances are Real — Let’s Make Sure More Students Get Them
by Malika KiddIn the past four years, my life has transformed for the better. I am a newlywed with a full-time job and working toward a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit manage…
Why Teachers of Color Leave
“Emotionally, it is harder to see students who look like me struggle, while higher-up administrators didn’t seem to truly care.”So says a Black teacher, summin…
When a School Meets a Child’s Individual Needs
My son has started the fifth grade, and I couldn’t be prouder. Last spring, I wrote about my son’s challenges not being met in the third grade and how I had to…
Broken Mirrors II: How Many Latino Students Are at Public Colleges and Universities? Not As Many As There Should Be.
September 15 marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage month, when we honor the many cultural and economic contributions of Latinos, who comprise nearly on…
How Policymakers Can Help Higher Education Better Serve Students
by Tiffany Jones and Kayla C. ElliottSo far, several Democratic presidential candidates have put forth various ambitious plans that could potentially help college students: from free college to ca…
From the Classroom to the Polls: The Importance of Student Voting
by Samantha BayneAs the 2020 presidential election comes closer, the stakes are especially high to get out the vote. While voter turnout in the 2018 midterms hit a 50-year high…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Open Up a World of Possibilities
by Jennifer R. WahlIn order to get students outside of their comfort zones, they must have role models and teachers who are willing to do the same. Rural America is often starvin…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Show That the American Dream is Indeed Possible
by Marc BeitiaWe are each a sum of our life experiences. Opportunities chosen and those passed up. Chances taken, or not. Risks accepted. Fears overcome. And passion found. …
Why I Teach Where I Teach: Because My Students’ Future is Full of Promise
by Robert HandI teach Family and Consumer Sciences and Leadership at Mount Vernon High School. Mount Vernon, Washington is located in the heart of the Skagit Valley in the n…
Why I Teach: To Make Black Boy Success Not the Exception But the Expectation
by Jessica DuenasGrowing up in East New York, when I was still surrounded by the innocence of youth, I had no idea how many odds were systemically stacked against me. My parent…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Fulfill a Sense of Community
by Kareem NealFor the past 12 years, I have taught students with severe cognitive delays at Maryvale High School in Phoenix. Maryvale is one of the largest high schools in A…
Reconciling Your School’s Racist History
by Coleman EvansAs a White woman progressing through college and my internship at Ed Trust, I have come to understand the extent to which systemic racism permeates every aspec…
Free and Reduced-Price Lunches Are Essential to a Child’s Education
My kid’s elementary school was located in an affluent part of town. But in a nondescript building about a mile away, there was a homeless shelter. So, unbeknow…
Profiles in Education Equity: Kyle Strickland, the Kirwan Institute
by Ed TrustKyle Strickland is the senior legal analyst at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. His work focuses on local and national civil rights …
What Happens When Incarceration Meets Education
by Luis Mattei Jr.Lifting the ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students is one of Ed Trust’s policy priorities for higher education reauthorization, and we are proud to advoc…
What It Means to Be Nonbinary and How to Be an LGBTQ Ally
by Charlie ScottI often tell people that my English pronouns are they/them and that I identify as trans (specifically nonbinary). This is much more accessible than explaining …
Higher Education Behind and Beyond Bars: A Father and Son Story
by Darryl Epps Jr. and Darryl Epps IIII sat with my back pressed into cold, hard wood as I stared into the big brown eyes across the table. He looks so much like me, I thought. Eight years old and …
