There are more than 300 anti-Queer policies that are being proposed and implemented across the nation that impact education, including Tennessee's Senate Bill 1229; Virginia's "2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools;" and Florida's "Parental Rights in…

This essay examines the importance of student success in higher education, particularly for underserved and disadvantaged student populations. This essay provides a review of contemporary trends in national postsecondary completion and strategies to enhance student success outcomes which will provide thriving economies and a talented workforce.…

Partners United for Research Pathways Oriented to Social Justice in Education is a partnership between a university research training program and a Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® site in north Florida. It addresses the lack of demographic diversity among doctoral students in education. Emphasis is on researcher positionality and building…

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps people with low incomes avoid hunger and afford food. It stimulates the economy, improves individuals' success at school and work, and promotes better health. SNAP's Employment and Training (E&T) program is designed to assist participants in gaining skills, training, or work experience…

A research paper by Card and Giuliano took advantage of a natural experiment in a large school district to explore the impact that universal screening policies had on the identification of historically underrepresented minorities in gifted and talented programs. The authors concluded that the universal screening system was more effective than the…

"Math Expressions" is a curriculum for students in prekindergarten through sixth grade that aims to build students' conceptual understanding of mathematics and to develop fluency in mathematical problem solving and computation. The curriculum encourages student learning of mathematics through real-world situations, visual supports such…

State education data systems help policymakers use data to evaluate the impact of their efforts to improve education. By disaggregating the data -- that is, breaking it out by different student subgroups -- policymakers can ensure that their efforts address the needs of students who have been traditionally underserved in educational settings. Yet…

On January 7, 2020, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released high school graduation rates for the State of Florida and the School District of Palm Beach County (District). It should be noted that due to COVID-19, assessment requirements for graduation were waived for FY20 seniors who had yet to meet them. This fact should be kept in…

In FY19, School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) outperformed Florida and four other large urban school districts by maintaining a stable graduation rate from FY18 to FY19. District operated high schools exceeded the Board's Strategic Plan goal of 90% by posting a graduation rate of 91.6%. In this memorandum, table 1 reports the graduation…

In FY17, the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) outperformed Florida and six other large urban school districts for the fourth consecutive year (FY14-FY17), and has consistently increased the graduation rate, including from FY16 to FY17. More importantly, the disparity between White students and their Black and Hispanic peers was reduced…

Community, collaboration, and relationships have become more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, school districts have embraced this opportunity to rethink how to engage with families and the surrounding community. With strong leadership that treats families, caregivers, and community organizations as full and…

In this brief, JFF (Jobs for the Future) explores what training providers can do to adapt their programming in ways that put the country on a path to an equitable economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors conducted research to examine what education and training providers can do to design programs that emphasize equity and…

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor reported a record-high 6.2 million job openings. Yet many employers report they cannot find the well-prepared candidates they need in the South and across the country. The problem is students' lack of preparation for college and career training. Also in 2017, the ACT college admissions test examined the…

In FY18, School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) outperformed Florida and five other large urban school districts for the fifth consecutive year (FY14-FY18), and has consistently increased the graduation rate, including from FY17 to FY18. District operated school students exceeded the Board's Strategic Plan goal of 90% by posting a graduation…

The purpose of this slide deck is to shine a spotlight on education in the American South with a focus on equity and to provide an understanding of the historical, social, political, and economic context in which the education sector operates. Any movement serious about improving education and life outcomes for underserved student groups --…