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.
Setting the Record Straight on Pell
by Robyn HiestandSince Hechinger Report released its analysis on the graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients, some people have called the effectiveness of the Pell Grant prog…
Solving the Problem of Parental Engagement
As my kids went through school, I saw a few of the many issues that surround what is called “parental engagement.”Many parents would have loved to go to school…
Pell Grants Provide Access; Institutions Must Support Completion
by Andrew Howard NicholsThe Hechinger Report just published an article on the graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients at 82 of the largest public and private institutions in the nat…
Principal Pipeline
An interesting initiative to dramatically improve schools isn’t disruptive or innovative or even particularly exciting — at least to non-educators. It is merel…
‘You Can Change Their Whole Life’
I first became aware of efforts to close achievement gaps in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 2008, when I met the relatively new superintendent, Paul Ash, at an a…
Schools That Leave Some Students Behind “Virtually Nonexistent”? Not So Fast
Over the past six months, we have worked with a large coalition of national civil rights, disabilities, and business organizations to convince Congress to stre…
Between the Echoes: ‘We Are Still Here’ — Native Students and Postsecondary Dreams
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…
Developing Great Teaching
I have recently been exposed to discussions teachers are having in the United Kingdom, and it turns out — drum roll, please — they talk about the same things a…
Class of 2015: Here We Come, America
Not long ago, I wrote about the disbelief African American students at Elmont Memorial High School confront about their high achievement.Ashley Simon, the vale…
Finding Success in Whatever Way Possible
In two new papers, scholar John Hattie identifies the most important — and the least important — things we can do to improve education, based on syntheses of a…
Sugarcoating American History
On a visit to Berlin last year, my husband and I found ourselves sitting on a streetcar next to another American, identified by his University of Memphis T-shi…
An Open Letter to College Dropout Factories
by Andrew Howard NicholsVisit this page for a complete list and an interactive map of the 113 college dropout factories.Dear College Dropout Factories,As part of our quest to increase…
Doing What Some Said Was Impossible
I came to Ed Trust in 2004 to help find high-performing schools with significant numbers of students of color and students from low-income families and then fi…
The Real Courageous Conversations
by Brooke Haycock“At some point we have to be honest about some of these kids.” The veteran educator spoke in italics, words slanting off her tongue eager to reveal their hidde…
Improvement — At Scale
In Huffington Post this week, I write about a book that I found really exciting — Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better.I…
Teachers: Accountability Buttresses Education for All Students
by Rachel MetzLast week, several Teach Plus teachers spoke on Capitol Hill about how federal accountability policy has impacted their teaching. Speaking passionately about t…
More Teachers Are Sticking Around, But in Which Schools?
by Rachel MetzA new study shows that new teachers are more likely to stay in the profession (83 percent) than most previous studies have suggested (as low as 50 percent). Th…
Higher Ed’s Pivotal Role in Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
by Kati HaycockToday, I testified before the United States Commission on Civil Rights as it convenes a hearing on the effect of college access and success on the socioeconomi…
