Press Releases 2006

The Education Trust releases Funding Gaps 2006

(Washington, D.C.) – School finance policy choices at the federal, state, and district levels systematically stack the deck against students who need the most support from their schools, according to a report released today by the Education Trust.

The report, Funding Gaps 2006, builds on the Education Trust’s annual studies of funding gaps among school districts within states.

  • Read more
  • Share this

The Education Trust releases 2006 Education Watch State Summaries

Parents, policymakers and the public-at-large are paying closer attention to education outcomes than ever before. That’s good news, because education matters more now than ever before.

Spurred in part by No Child Left Behind, much of the focus is on the achievement gap that separates students of color and low-income students from White and more affluent students.

Engines of Inequality: Diminishing Equity in the Nation’s Premier Public Universities

The nation’s 50 flagship universities serve disproportionately fewer low-income and minority students than in the past, according to a new report by the Education Trust.  Students in the entering and graduating classes at these schools look less and less like the state populations those universities were created to serve.  The study shows how financial aid choices made by these prestigious public universities result in higher barriers to college enrollment and success among low-income students and students of color.

Statement from The Education Trust on NAEP Science Urban Assessment

Results released today from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment offer an important first look at student achievement in science in some of the nation’s biggest cities.  The ten participating districts should be applauded for their willingness to be evaluated against the rigorous NAEP standards and compared to their peers.  In doing so, they’ve signaled a commitment to raising achievement through honestly assessing their students’ knowledge and skills against an important external benchmark. 

This commitment to im

The Education Trust honors five “Dispelling the Myth” schools

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, the Education Trust will honor five schools from across the country that have had exceptional success in educating low-income students and students of color to high academic levels. The schools will receive the 2006 Dispelling the Myth awards at a ceremony and dinner that will feature remarks from U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

The awards ceremony, scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., is part of the Education’s Trust’s 17th National Conference on closing the achievement gap.

Yes We Can: Telling Truths and Dispelling Myths About Race and Education in America

(Washington, D.C.) – The Education Trust is co-hosting a Capitol Hill Event today with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), and Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) that features African-American educators who have successfully used standards and accountability to improve teaching, motivate students and faculty, and raise achievement in their schools. 

Promise Abandoned: How Policy Choices and Institutional Practices Restrict College Opportunities

(Washington, D.C.) -- A new report released today from the Education Trust sharply criticizes trends in federal, state, and college practices that discourage low-income and minority students from enrolling and graduating from college.  In fact, despite the perception of progress, gaps in college-going and college completion for poor and minority students are actually wider than they were thirty years ago.

Statement from The Education Trust on U.S. ED review of state plans for highly qualified and experienced teachers in every classroom

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Department of Education released a review of each state’s plan to ensure that all students are taught by highly qualified and experienced teachers. The Department concluded that the overwhelming majority of states must revise and re-submit their data and plans to address inequities.

“This is a move in the right direction,” said Heather Peske, Education Trust’s senior associate for teacher quality.

Missing the mark: States’ teacher-equity plans fall short

(Washington, D.C.) – A new Education Trust analysis of teacher-equity plans prepared by all 50 states and the District of Columbia finds that most states failed to properly analyze data that would determine whether poor and minority children get more than their fair share of unqualified, inexperienced, and out-of-field teachers. Only two states, Nevada and Ohio, fully complied with the requirements and offered specific plans to remedy inequities.

As a result, the Ed Trust report released today recommends that the U.S.

Ross Wiener, policy director of The Education Trust, on the National Governors Association Graduation Counts Compact Progress Report

(Washington, D.C.) – In 2005, all 50 governors made an unprecedented commitment to provide educators, policymakers and the public with much-needed information about one of the most critical indicators of success for our public education system -- high school graduation rates.