In order to reach black students academically, we must first know where they "live" socially, culturally, and emotionally, says Horace Hall, a mentor in Chicago Public Schools. In his work with Chicago teens, Hall has learned the importance of understanding the significant challenges these youth face, both within and outside of school,…

This "Equity by Design" research brief summarizes a study published by Waitoller and Maggin (2018) in the special education journal "Remedial and Special Education." The purpose of this research was to examine whether charter schools mitigate racial inequities evidenced in access to general education classrooms in neighborhood…

Although we often look to schools to solve complex social problems, many educators are not ready to address the structural racism behind many contemporary conflicts. Pedro Noguera and Julio Angel Alicia present a brief history of the socioeconomic forces that drove school closures and gentrification in Chicago, the remaking of New Orleans after…

Chosen spaces are community organizations and programs, elective classes, and/or extracurricular clubs that students choose to participate in and have the agency to refuse their membership in. The youth's chosen spaces represent an alternate possibility for what English language arts (ELA) education could look like and how it might better sustain…

Race, history and visibility have a great deal to do with how disability operated socially and educationally in the Chicago public high school art classroom where I taught for ten years. I am severely near-sighted, and I am also white, educated and often, but not consistently, able to pass for non-disabled. A large number of my students were…

Harry S Truman College (Truman), one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago, has participated in Pathways to Results (PTR) for the last three years. In each of its projects Truman has successfully improved institutional processes and academic pathway practices, resulting in improved outcomes for its students. Truman has truly been a leader, under…

As school systems nationwide struggle to deliver learning in a pandemic, parent advocacy groups are stepping up to help Black and Hispanic families who have often been left out of previous education policy making discussions. This brief profiles four advocacy groups--The Oakland REACH; Parents Amplifying Voices in Education, or PAVE; Kids First…

Chezare A. Warren chronicles the transition of a cohort of young Black males from Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men to their early experiences in higher education. A rich and closely observed account of a mission-driven school and its students, "Urban Preparation" makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how young…

As pre-kindergarten (pre-k) expands across the country, school districts are making choices about where to place pre-k classrooms and developing policies for how families can apply and who is enrolled. In doing so, districts are pulling policy levers that influence students' access to pre-k. Research shows that some families have less access to…

The purpose of this fact sheet is to make this information easily available to policymakers, activists, and parents/caregivers, and to contribute to a substantive discussion about developing equitable educational opportunities for all children.