COVID-19 Response: High Dosage Tutoring to Accelerate Student Learning

Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone Read more about HDT in our latest policy brief.   As COVID-19 continues to disrupt schooling for millions of children across our country, affluent families are hiring private teachers and tutors to offer one-on-one or small group instruction this fall. Our public education system should provide similar modes of personalized instruction

It Can be Done: Improving African-American College Access at Public Flagships

By: James Murphy In a recent post, Words and Deeds, ERN called out the University of Michigan for underserving Black students in the state. We can imagine their objection, namely, that it is difficult to recruit African-American students, particularly those students who are disadvantaged by low-performing schools with little to no college advising, who come

States Need to Step Up on Equity and COVID

By Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone  The complications of restarting instruction for the 2020-21 school year in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will require comprehensive and clear planning, especially as it relates to ensuring equitable access to a high-quality public education. This past spring, districts had to put together plans for remote instruction

Words and Deeds: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

By: Katlyn Riggins  We’ve been comparing college president statements on race with their respective college’s performance. Let’s just say there’s a gap. After George Floyd’s murder, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s President Mark Schlissel issued the following statement:  “At U-M [Ann Arbor], we must use our power to address major societal problems – especially those

New ERN Report Uncovers Yawning Racial Disparities in MI Higher Ed 

CARES Act Funding Could Remedy Opportunity Gaps, Reduce Burden of Debt Read the full report here. WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 20, 2020) –– A new report, released today, details how Michigan state officials can use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to address troubling racial and socioeconomic disparities in the number of students earning a degree at

LOC Urges NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to Save CUNY ASAP Program

Bill de Blasio New York City Mayor Dear Mayor de Blasio, Perhaps the single-greatest factor for success for many urban, first-generation and often immigrant students, is access to education that will help them break cycles of poverty. While some may say “college isn’t for everyone,” access to college should undoubtedly be for everyone. The Leaders

ERN Statement on the Coronavirus Childcare Education Relief Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2020) — Education Reform Now (ERN) President Shavar Jeffries released the following statement on the Coronavirus Childcare Education Relief Act (CCCERA), proposed today by U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Senate Democrats. “As the novel coronavirus continues to ravage our nation, we applaud Sen. Murray and Senate Democrats for their leadership in prioritizing education funding in the Congressional COVID-19 response effort

DC Council Committee on Health and Committee on Business and Economic Development joint hearing on the “New Hospital at St. Elizabeths Act of 2020” and the “New Howard University Hospital and Redevelopment Tax Abatement Act of 2020″

Ramin Taheri, Director, Education Reform Now-DC Good afternoon, Chairperson Gray, Chairperson McDuffie, and members of the DC Council. My name is Ramin Taheri, and I am the director of Education Reform Now-DC, a non-profit organization that fights to ensure that all students, particularly students of color and students from low-income families, have access to a

Early Signs of States’ CARES Act Education Spending Priorities

By Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone As Congress continues discussions on the next round of COVID funding, it’s still largely unclear how states are planning to spend the $16.2 billion in the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds under the CARES Act. ED has touted the flexibility

Great Colleges Don’t Need to Buy Love with Legacy Preference

By Katlyn Riggins and James Murphy Great colleges inspire devotion and generosity by making alumni proud, not by trading admissions spots for donations. These are dark days for colleges and universities. Even the wealthiest institutions are reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet, it is a great time to eliminate legacy preference.