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.
Homecoming for a DTM Principal
Earlier this spring, I told you that Dispelling the Myth school Bethune Elementary in New Orleans will be getting a new building. The plans for the new school …
In Their Words: A ‘Lot of Work,’ But Worth the Effort
by Marni BrombergDuring our research for “Falling Out of the Lead,” the third report in our Shattering Expectations series, we interviewed high-achieving, low-income students t…
3 Promising Issues in This Year’s State Legislative Session
We’ve already told you about the top emerging trends in state legislation this year. But what about bills that didn’t become laws? Some were, of course, duds, …
A Frank Discussion About School Accountability
by Kati HaycockA longer version of this post appears in The Huffington Post.Webster's dictionary defines "accountability" as "an obligation or willingness to accept responsib…
Don’t Gut Teacher Evaluations in RI
by Kati HaycockA longer version of this appears on the Providence Journal's website.It’s what we call “evaluation season” at Ed Trust, which always seems to elicit a collecti…
Fixing Poverty, Improving Schools: The Choice Is Not One or the Other
by Sonja Brookins SantelisesCurrently, there is a great deal of renewed attention to the pernicious impact of poverty on the lives of many of our nation’s low-income children. There are f…
In Their Words: High Achievers Need Support, Too
by Marni BrombergDuring our research for “Falling Out of the Lead,” the third report in our Shattering Expectations series, we interviewed high-achieving, low-income students t…
Fast Fact: The Difference a School Can Make
by Ed TrustEchoes From the Gap, Part 2: The View From the Lighthouse
by Brooke Haycock“You really want to know what makes this school different?” high school Principal John Capozzi leaned in, “Talk to a kid like James.” A “tough kid from the Bro…
In Their Words: What Holds Back a Lot of Students Is People Tell Them, ‘No’
by Marni BrombergDuring our research for “Falling Out of the Lead,” the third report in our Shattering Expectations series, we interviewed high-achieving, low-income students t…
Looking Beneath the Averages on College Readiness
by Allison HorowitzEarlier this month, the National Assessment Governing Board released its first-ever estimates of college preparedness. According to the report, about 39 percen…
Overcompensated and Underperforming
by Meredith WelchWhat’s more disturbing — that nine public college executives earned more than $1 million last year or that there appears to be little connection between presid…
Here’s How to Strengthen the Gainful Employment Rule
UPDATEDStudents traveled to Capitol Hill last week to tell Congress the hardships they have faced because the career education programs in which they were enro…
3 Emerging Issues in State Legislation
State legislatures have largely wrapped up, and although they were short sessions, they weren’t without debate and progress. We’ve been keeping track of state …
In Their Words: High School Grads Tell Us What Works
by Marni BrombergDuring our research for “Falling Out of the Lead,” the third report in our Shattering Expectations series, we interviewed high-achieving, low-income students t…
The Wrong Fix to Real Problems
by Daria HallA new Brookings Institution study of teacher evaluation systems in four districts finds that teachers with initially higher performing students get, on average…
The Fight for Kindergarten
I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, a school district that has offered half-day kindergarten to all kids for decades and full-day kindergarten for many year…
