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.
Beware of the College Completion Spin
by Meredith WelchNew federal data released last month — to some media fanfare — suggest that postsecondary education students who persist in higher education, up to eight years…
SIG and the Omnibus
by Kate TrombleBuried in the massive fiscal year 2014 omnibus spending bill just introduced in Congress is a pretty devastating cut to the School Improvement Grant (SIG) prog…
Four Issues to Watch in the 2014 State Legislative Session
by Iris Maria ChavezIn recent years, we’ve seen a host of state-level education reforms and the 2014 legislative session — for many states — will be about defending those reforms.…
Comparing States: Current Results and Gains Over Time
There are a number of web applications out there that let you compare states based on performance or improvement separately (see this one from the National Cen…
The Promise of Opportunity
by Meredith WelchImagine being able to tell a student whose family can’t afford college that there is an opportunity for her to go — guaranteed.It’s a promise given to thousand…
What It Takes for a High-Poverty School to be Successful
by Karin ChenowethIn my most recent Huffington Post column, I wrote about the transformation of the neighborhood around Centennial Place Elementary in Atlanta. That prompted me …
An Easy Tool for Comparing State Performance and Improvement
We’ve just updated our State Academic Performance and Improvement Tool with the recently released 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) resul…
Looking Back on 2013
by Mandy ZatynskiYou won’t see much from us in the next two weeks, as we break for the holidays. (Ed Trust offices are closed Dec. 24 to Jan. 1.) As we’ve admittedly covered an…
TUDA Data Show Cause for Concern — and for Hope
by Allison HorowitzOur analysis of the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) results, which includes 21 districts nationwide, shows that even for similar groups of students, the…
Some Educators Are Never Satisfied
by Karin ChenowethIn today’s Huffington Post column, I talk about one of the winners of the 2013 Ed Trust Dispelling the Myth Awards, Chadwick Elementary School, located just pa…
Engaging Native Families in Schools Pays Off in Achievement
by Iris Maria ChavezIn the Native American community, the history of education and family engagement in schools has been fraught with pain. Beginning in the 1800s, in an attempt t…
Proficiency Is a Floor, Not a Finish Line
by Marni BrombergAt a time when gaps at the advanced level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are widening, Laurel Street Elementary School’s high rates …
Through the Eyes of a Teacher
by Karin ChenowethA few weeks ago I wrote how the dispassionate examination of assessment data by groups of teachers can unlock expertise that would otherwise be trapped in indi…
A Few Reflections on PISA 2012
by Allison HorowitzMuch has already been said about the United States’ middling performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). However, most of last we…
Classroom Management: Another Item on Teacher Prep’s ‘Needs Improvement’ List
by Sarah AlmyAnyone who has ever been in a classroom knows that classroom management matters. Teachers may aim to deliver top-notch instruction all the time, but there wil…
A December Budget Deal to Remember
by Kate TrombleIt’s December in Washington, so what does that mean? You guessed it, budget negotiations. But wait, could it be ... there’s a deal? An honest to goodness deal …
How Two Seemingly Similar Colleges Are Actually Very Different
by Meredith WelchAs the college application season ramps up and admission letters start to trickle in, teenagers across the country are facing one of the largest investment cho…