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.
Teacher Vacancies: Hard to Staff, But Not Impossible
by Marni BrombergAs part of our ongoing work with districts that are working to fix inequitable staffing patterns, we recently checked in with a human capital officer in a larg…
How Policy Can Help Principals Help Kids
by Rachel MetzEarlier this month, our own Sonja Santelises led a conversation with state and district leaders about the critical importance of principals and how policymaker…
Hey Mizzou, It’s Time to Step Up
Now that the University of Missouri’s president has resigned and the chancellor has announced that he'll step down at the end of the year, hopefully students’ …
Turns Out — Who Knew? — Strong State Accountability Systems Might Even Be Helpful
A day after this year’s disappointing results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress were released, Stanford economist Martin Carnoy published a …
Why Common Core Math Standards Aren’t As Fuzzy As Some Say
Some of the criticism of Common Core State Standards has focused on what some call “fuzzy math.” That is, Common Core standards clearly state that students sho…
We All Deserve to Know Grad Rates for Pell Students
by Gail ZuagarLike many students, my college decision was based largely on the price I would have to pay — tuition, financial aid, and in-state vs. out-of-state costs all ha…
Between the Echoes: AP Hunger Games
by Brooke HaycockAn offshoot of Ed Trust’s Echoes From the Gap series, drawing stories of students from behind the statistics, this blog series shares shorter narratives — brie…
The ‘Sobering’ News in Today’s NAEP Results
After years of improvement for low-income students and students of color, today’s National Assessment of Educational Progress results show that, in some grades…
What You Should Look for in the NAEP Results
by Allison HorowitzAll of us at Ed Trust are eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s release of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress data, which will let us see how fourth- a…
How Cognitive Science Came to the Field of Education
Back at the turn of the century, I was invited by a friend to a symposium by the National Academy of Sciences as it published a brand new book, How People Lear…
How Best To Serve Pell Students? These Colleges Know How
by Mandy ZatynskiThe Pell Partnership, our latest report, has been noted for “debunk the notion that Pell grants are somehow being wasted.” And it’s true. Quite a few colleges …
Between the Echoes: <i>Oh, the Places You’ll Go</i>
by Brooke HaycockAn offshoot of Ed Trust’s Echoes From the Gap series, drawing stories of students from behind the statistics, this blog series shares shorter narratives — brie…
Black Teachers Are Leaving the Teaching Profession at Staggering Rates. But Why?
by Ashley GriffinA new report from the Albert Shanker Institute shows that teachers of color (including black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multir…
Many Colleges Aren’t Doing Enough to Fulfill the Promise of the Pell Grant Program
Several recent reports have estimated a significant gap in the college completion rates of the low-income students who receive federal Pell Grants and other co…
Finally, Help for Pell Students at Closed Campuses
by Robyn HiestandWhen colleges shutter their campuses, who’s harmed the most? Students are, especially low-income students. They are the ones with the least protection. That’s …
Facts and Background Knowledge ‘Open the Door to Kids Who Don’t Have the Keys to Power’
Decades ago, when E.D. Hirsch was a professor at the University of Virginia, he conducted research at a local community college. He found that when he gave the…
Between the Echoes: Forward to School
by Brooke HaycockAn offshoot of Ed Trust’s Echoes From the Gap series, drawing stories of students from behind the statistics, this blog series shares shorter narratives — brie…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: We All Get By With a Little Help From Our Colleagues
by Meredith HughesMeredith Hughes is a third-grade teacher at Ward Elementary School in Henrico County outside of Richmond, Virginia. She has worked in education for eight years…
Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today’s Higher Standards?
Unfortunately, not so much.That’s according to a new analysis Ed Trust released today that reviews more than 1,500 English language arts assignments from two d…
Going to SXSWedu 2016? Vote for Ed Trust!
by Jack FlemingWe have a couple of panels up for consideration in next year’s SXSWedu conference, but it’s up to you to make sure we’re there. Interested in any of the follow…
