LPI Blog

The Trump administration rescission of federal school discipline guidance and proposals to arm teachers is making our schools more like prisons and less like centers of learning. In this Forbes commentary, Linda Darling-Hammond discusses the wide body of research showing that these policies backfire and real school safety will come from investments in social-emotional learning and restorative justice practices.

We live in an era of extreme income inequality and one of the places it’s hitting hardest is in our schools. That’s because inequity is hard-wired into our school-funding systems. Linda Darling-Hammond and Jeff Raikes explain the hard wiring and discuss what we can do to shift direction and ensure that every child receives a quality education.

In late December, 2018, the Trump administration rescinded Obama-era guidance on school discipline that has helped improve school safety and student achievement across the country. In advance of that decision, Linda Darling-Hammond and Chris Edley cautioned against this move in a commentary in The Hill. They explained that after states adopted the guidance, suspensions and expulsions—which are given at much higher rates to students of color—were reduced significantly as were school-based firearms incidents.

Historically, U.S. schools have been rated based largely on student performance on an annual summative test. With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), state accountability systems now feature additional measures of student and school success, including academic growth. These factors are critical if we are to create accountability systems that recognize the contributions that schools make to student progress, while reducing bias against educators and schools serving students in diverse, high-poverty communities.

Under the Every School Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are able to use 5-, 6-, and even 7-year graduation rates in their accountability systems. This expanded measure of student success creates new opportunities for students who need extra time to earn a diploma, often the most vulnerable in our schools, including English Learners, students with special needs, and homeless and transitional youth.  

Thanks to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are beginning to develop accountability systems that are focused on multiple measures of student success, including one key driver of inequity—the overuse of suspension, particularly for students of color, as a discipline tactic.

Grassroots organizing and movement building to combat the school-to-prison pipeline has focused on ending zero-tolerance and exclusionary discipline policies and implementing more humane alternatives, such as restorative justice. This movement is winning policy victories through the combination of research-based evidence and the personal stories of parents and students who are directly impacted by injustice, and by building broader alliances to bring more resources and clout to their efforts.

Across the country, more than eight million students are chronically absent, meaning they miss nearly one month of school each year. ESSA creates an opportunity for states and districts to monitor and address chronic absences as a key strategy for creating greater educational equity. This blog, part of the Realizing ESSA’s Promise series, provides examples and guidance on how states can equip districts, communities, and schools to take a comprehensive approach to improving attendance.

The Every Student Succeeds Act broadens the notion of student and school success beyond standardized tests and recognizes the importance of schools providing critical supports for students. This blog, from our series, Realizing ESSA’s Promise, explores how states are leveraging ESSA’s support for non-academic indicators to identify disparities and then implement research-based policies and practices to address identified needs.

Fifty years after the Kerner Report, our nation still struggles with persistent disparities in child welfare, educational opportunities, and economic outcomes—but there is still hope for change. In this Education and the Path to Equity blog, Christopher Edley, President of the Opportunity Institute, and Linda Darling-Hammond discuss the potential of community schools to overcome the entrenched inequities of today’s education system.