Going to SXSWedu 2016? Vote for Ed Trust!

Weaving data with narrative from more than 300 interviews with youth, educators, and industry leaders, Brooke Haycock will perform American Grit, a docudrama about the role of secondary schools in America and what — and whose — children need to succeed. Follow cousins Deja and Darnell from high school deep into post-industrial America as their experiences expose the fault lines in the rhetoric of college and career readiness “for all” that swallow too many students and shake the very foundation of American prosperity. (Vote for this panel.)

Drawing on more than a decade of work, Karin Chenoweth shares the stories of high-performing schools that are doing the impossible — or so many people think. These schools are educating large populations of children of color and children from low-income families to the highest levels of academic achievement. Take a whirlwind tour of a few schools from all over the country, through video interviews and lots of photos of their brilliant and energetic students, and hear how they get the results they get. (Vote for this panel.)

Andrew Nichols and Lynn Jennings will present our groundbreaking report on Pell Grant recipient graduation rates with hard-edge data on why improving college outcomes for low-income students is critically important for our nation’s health and economic mobility. The report includes case studies of specific institutions and recommended policy changes that can help improve outcomes for low-income students. (Vote for this panel.)

Set the scene: It has been 14 years since Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, and it is seven years past due for reauthorization. Educators, advocates, and policymakers all agree the law needs to be updated (though there is disagreement about how). Enter The Education Trust and Social Driver with a digital grassroots campaign to build support among low-income families and families of color to ensure that Congress holds true to the civil rights mission of the law and ensures #AllKidsMatter. See how we used data analytics through Facebook, Twitter, and Change.org to identify and activate more than 1,000 parent advocates in target states. (Vote for this panel.)