In Focus: Equity in Education

Welcome to a New Series From the Aspen Institute

A new school year can be a daunting experience for students, families, and educators even in the best of times. But no one was prepared for what 2020-2021 would bring. Welcome to the first installment of In Focus, a multimedia project from the Aspen Institute that explores society’s greatest challenges. This month, we will examine the structural inequities in our education system, how the COVID-19 pandemic and national reckoning on race have exacerbated those inequities—and how, together, we can build better learning communities for all.

Reopening

In the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, the Institute’s Education & Society and Ascend programs hosted a digital event on how issues of racial justice play out in our school systems. Watch Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers; Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller; and Learning Program Content Consultant at Cell-Ed and Ascend PSP Parent Advisor Waukecha Wilkerson discuss how to create lasting social change both in and outside of the classroom as the new school year begins. 
 

The pandemic is shining a light on the inequities children face in schools. Returning to the status quo would leave many students and communities without the resources and support they need. The nation’s response to the pandemic must restore the promise of public education as an engine of opportunity. In this paper, the Institute’s Education & Society program proposes five principles to guide recovery and renewal.

 

As some youth sports look to resume play this fall, the Institute’s Sports & Society program developed resources that help leaders, coaches, and parents adjust to the impacts of COVID-19. The Return to Play risk assessment tool, created with the support of medical experts, helps decision-makers assess the potential repercussions of restarting sport and recreational activities.

Equity

For far too many children, schools have become on-ramps to the criminal justice system rather than paths for opportunity. Black girls, in particular, are subject to policies and punishment that police them at school. The debut episode of the Institute’s new podcast, Shades of Freedom, from the Criminal Justice Reform Initiative, asks: how did we get here?
 

Nearly 5 million young adults aged 16 to 24 aren’t in school or employed. Melody Barnes, chair of the Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions and John Bridgeland, founder and CEO of Civic, call for solutions to reconnect these young adults, who are disproportionately from communities of color, to school and work.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the widening digital divide. Roughly one-in-five American adults lack access to home broadband service or laptops, putting families who live in poverty and communities of color at the greatest disadvantage. As more learning moves online, Aspen Digital addresses the growing “homework gap” in this event.
 

In Focus is a new multimedia series from the Aspen Institute that brings clear, diverse perspectives to the challenges shaping our society during a historic period of change and uncertainty. This series unites the Aspen Institute’s leading policy experts with our networks that span grassroots organizers, CEOs, student activists, and national lawmakers. Together, we’re showcasing new ideas, untold stories, and bringing the issues behind the headlines into focus.
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