Report: State Guidance for High-Impact Tutoring

The recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is infusing America’s K12 public schools with unprecedented, desperately needed relief funds to aid in the academic recovery of students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The $122 billion allocated to K12 public schools represents over seven times current annual Title I funding. As

What’s going on in VA Higher Ed? Your Brief Explainer

Didn’t have time to read our full issue brief on racial and economic inequities in access and admissions to Virginia colleges and universities? Or did you miss news coverage on the same, our “Words & Deeds” series, or our Virginian-Pilot op-ed with recommendations? No problem. Here is your handy, PowerPoint summary of our Scratching the

Opinion: Level the playing field for college admissions

By Michael Dannenberg This op-ed first appeared in the Virginian-Pilot on May 5, 2021. Each year politicians provide millions to selective colleges and ask virtually nothing in return. In Virginia, that has allowed a de facto segregated system by class and race to fester. Five of the 11 worst public colleges in the country on

In Providing Students Post-Pandemic Options, Let’s Not Forget Past Virtual School Failures

By Nicholas Munyan-Penney Ever since schools first started moving to remote learning in March of last year, the goal has always been the same: reopen school buildings and get students back in classrooms. But as we get increasingly closer to that goal—over 90% of schools are now offering in-person learning for students—there have been rumblings

100-Day Policy Wins

Back in December, we laid out our 100-day policy priorities for K-12 and Higher Education for the Biden administration and urged the then President- and Vice President-elect to advance education policies that aspire to the historic role the federal government has played in narrowing opportunity gaps and channeling resources to the students and schools most

Christopher Newport University is Headed in the Wrong Direction

By Katlyn Riggins Christopher Newport University, led by former U.S. Senator Paul Trible (R-VA) and located in current U.S. House Education Committee Chairman Bobby Scott’s (D-VA) Congressional District, is the sixth worst public college in the country on working-class and low-income student access. In fact, its Pell Grant student enrollment rate has been going down.

Washington & Lee: A National Disgrace

By James Murphy On March 23, several hundred students at Washington and Lee University in Virginia walked out of class to protest the Board of Trustees’ decision to delay deciding whether to drop Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s name from the institution, almost a year after a faculty vote to do so. Tahri Phillips, Class

Words and Deeds: James Madison University

By Katlyn Riggins There’s quite the gap between words and deeds at James Madison University (JMU) when it comes to matters of racial equity and social justice.  For context though, know that James Madison is a public research university situated in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It enrolls just over 21,000 undergraduates and

Shame on the University of Richmond

By: Katlyn Riggins The University of Richmond seems more concerned with creating an inclusive history than an inclusive present. Last week, the University of Richmond was in the news over two campus buildings named for a slave owner and long-time segregationist. Instead of removing the names, as James Madison University recently did, Richmond added the

De Facto Segregation in Virginia Higher Ed

By Michael Dannenberg A new issue brief by Education Reform Now highlights the extent to which Virginia’s leading public and private colleges are choosing to under enroll students from working class, low-income, and racial minority backgrounds. Of the 15 worst public colleges and universities in America on working class and low-income student enrollment, one-third are