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 the Ryan Budget Is Bad for Pell Grant Students
by Kate TrombleRep. Paul Ryan’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal, released today, offers up severe cuts ($791 billion over 10 years) to education and other non-defense progra…
Smart Common Core Fixes Mean New Yorkers Can Get Back to Work
by Daria HallFor months, educators, policymakers, and parents in New York have been embroiled in debate about the future of the Common Core State Standards. Some have surfa…
Abandoning the Common Core Is Taking the Easy Way Out
by Sonja Brookins SantelisesThis post originally appeared at the Fordham Institute’s Flypaper blog.While the New York State United Teachers and the National Education Association have wit…
Hard-Won Lessons From an Improving School District
by Karin ChenowethIn the past 10 years I have written two books and co-written a third about the role schools have in helping kids achieve academic success; I am convinced that …
Kudos — and Cautions — on the New CRDC Data
by Daria HallData from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) cast new light on the shameful fact that students of color get less than their…
Are Most Teachers Really in Their First Year?
by Marni Bromberg“Back (in the late 1980s), the most common teacher in America was a 15-year veteran; two decades later, she was a first-year neophyte.” This quote comes from a…
Colleges Get Helping Hand in Obama’s Budget
by Joseph YeadoWe’re not naïve. We’re not optimistic that the Obama higher education budget proposal will be adopted by this Congress. But the initiatives included are import…
Echoing Our Readers Back
by Brooke HaycockWhen we released “The Writing on The Hall,” the first installment of our new Echoes From the Gap series, we didn’t just want to release a different kind of pap…
What’s Homework For?
by Karin ChenowethReading about a recent survey on homework reminded of my own struggles as a parent standing over my kids to make sure they put in their second shift. Once they…
College Board Aims to Increase Equity, But Can’t Do It Alone
by Marni BrombergBy moving away from obscure vocabulary lists and a scattered assortment of math topics, the College Board’s new SAT aims to more directly tie the assessment to…
Bring Breakfast to the Classroom
The national School Breakfast program still only reaches about half of low-income students who could benefit from starting their school day with a nutritious m…
Racing Toward Equity
by Kate TrombleOne of the signature items in this week’s fiscal year 2015 education budget is the Race to the Top–Equity and Opportunity competition. Although we’ve heard a l…
Right to Play
by Karin ChenowethWhen a Norwegian athlete visited war-torn Eritrea, he saw kids tie up a long-sleeved shirt and kick it around because they had no ball. After he won a gold med…
The Lessons Students Learn From Suspension
by Brooke Haycock“Hopefully, he will learn his lesson this time.”And with the administrator’s words, the meeting was over. This would mark Jerome’s fifth suspension of the year…
Zero Down on College Is As Gimmicky As It Sounds
by Mandy ZatynskiMichigan is the latest in a number of states jumping on the “Pay It Forward” bandwagon, which is headed as far away from a solution to the spiraling college pr…