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.
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…
Pushing for a Stronger, More Diverse Teaching Workforce
by Ed TrustWhile there have been dozens of reports on how teacher education programs should change, there has been no nationwide concerted effort to hold teacher educatio…
Adjusting to the Common Core
by Karin ChenowethDuring the summer of 2012, Manuel Gatica, the math department chair at a high-poverty middle school in Arizona, went to a number of trainings about the Common …
Leading the (Federal) Way in AP
by Marni BrombergIn 2010, Federal Way Public Schools in Washington state reversed the paradigm for enrollment in Advanced Placement coursework: Instead of leaving it up to stud…
What About the Teachers Behind CTE, Early Ed?
by Latasha MyersThe majority of governors have delivered their State of the State Addresses this year, and it looks like the big movers are early childhood education and caree…
Hey Richie Rich, How About Making College Cheaper?
by Michael DannenbergUPDATEDCha-ching! According to a new study, higher education endowment investment returns averaged an 11.7 percent gain in fiscal year 2013 compared with a dec…
US Trails Scandinavian Countries at Olympics — and in College Affordability
by Joseph YeadoYou might think this table lists the results of the cross-country skiing events at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, but don’t be fooled. It actually depicts the…
No Matter the Outcome, Vergara Trial Is a Win for California Students
by Ed TrustUPDATEDWhatever the verdict in the courtroom, the explosive Vergara v. California case has already made an important mark on California and the nation. A group…
Dispassionate Optimism
by Karin ChenowethAlmost 10 years ago, when I first started visiting successful schools with substantial populations of children of color and children from low-income families, …
Students Need Reliable Success Data From Feds, Not Media
by Mary Nguyen BarryWith a headline that looks as if it were taken from The Onion, a recent U.S. News & World Report analysis on colleges and universities that succeed at grad…
When Kids Get Lost In Compliance
by Brooke HaycockUPDATEDThe graduation rates for students with disabilities surfacing in the news are enough to make the stomach of any parent of a child with an Individualized…