Equitable Access and Opportunity Resources

October 3, 2022 | Examining five school districts committed to serving students experiencing homelessness, researchers explore how districts fund and staff their programs; how federal, local, and district policies can strengthen supports; and how districts identify and address the needs of this vulnerable student group.

September 12, 2022 | The school conditions and educational outcomes California students in foster care experience may be impacted by a range of challenges associated with multiple school moves and barriers to important supports at the school and state levels. Effective processes and policies that span the state’s education system and the foster care system can help create a coordinated web of supports to enhance student outcomes.

August 22, 2022 | Young people today must learn to think critically, solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and embrace lifelong learning. There is still a long road to travel to ensure all students have access to this type of “deeper learning”; however, policies that promote healthy environments, supportive learning conditions, well-resourced and inclusive schools, skillful teaching, and high-quality curriculum can help pave the path forward.

August 9, 2022 | Magnet schools can be tools for increasing community and school diversity and providing academic benefits to all students. They also present opportunities for neighborhood revitalization and stability. However, achieving these outcomes requires holistic thinking about civil rights and integration. Schools and neighborhoods are inextricably linked, and policies that reflect this reality will garner better results for both children and communities.

July 26, 2022 | In California, the approximately 47,000 students who live in foster care face complex educational challenges. This report sheds light on the needs, characteristics, and outcomes of California students living in foster care and promising practices to better support them, including enhancing effective coordination and collaboration among agencies; building trusting relationships in schools; and providing targeted social, emotional, and academic services.

May 25, 2022 | More than 5 million children in the United States are living in deep poverty. Researchers suggest that deep poverty-responsive schools—for instance, schools funded according to fair school finance formulas, designed around community schools principles, and centered on whole child teaching and learning—can address the full range of children’s needs and help heal trauma associated with living in deep poverty.

May 25, 2022 | Because performance assessments surface examples of how students use their academic and nonacademic learning in authentic situations, they can help admission officers at higher education institutions more fully understand applicants. But a college’s abilities to effectively use reliable evidence of student learning in the admission process depends on how they frame the “ask” for these materials.