HOW EDUCATION TRUST VISION OF EDUCATION EQUITY CANNOT BE DISMANTLED, WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO! (1319 hits)
For Immediate Release From Education Trust!
WHO WE ARE
Committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system.
Our Mission
EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where students will thrive.
How We Advance Our Mission
EdTrust advocates for students, especially those whose potential is often overlooked. We evaluate policies, practices, and dollars spent through a single lens: what is right for students. We carry out our mission in three primary ways:
Analyzing local, state, and national data and use what we learn to help build a broader understanding of opportunity gaps for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds and the actions necessary to close them. Helping to shape and influence national and state policy, bringing lessons learned from on-the-ground work and from data analyses to build the case for policies that will help all students achieve excellence.
Working alongside educators, policymakers, and advocates in communities across the country, providing practical assistance in their efforts to transform schools and colleges into institutions that are safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.
Our Core Beliefs
We believe in the limitless potential of young people and in the power of education to equip all students to live the life of their choosing.
We believe schools and colleges can help all students achieve excellence when appropriately organized and funded.
We believe a strong education improves the lives of young people, is vital to sustaining our democracy, and strengthens America in a global economy.
We believe long-standing gaps in opportunity, achievement, and attainment for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds are part of an education system that does not provide equitable or adequate support and resources for them. And though education equity may seem like a lofty goal, we know that it is achievable with research-backed solutions, effort, and public will.
Today’s student body is more diverse and multicultural as ever — and in classrooms across America, there are so many students of color and students from low-income backgrounds who are eager to learn and have big dreams. However, the reality is they often remain underserved at their schools. What’s more, the educator workforce and curricula do not reflect the growing needs of students to learn in a culturally rich and academically rigorous setting.
EdTrust seeks to close opportunity gaps that separate students of color and students from low-income backgrounds from their White, more affluent peers. To disrupt these systems of inequity, EdTrust works alongside policymakers, advocates, and educators to create meaningful change at the national, state, and local levels. Equipped with data and research, we work to eliminate injustices and set up educators to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments at our nation’s schools.
The majority of jobs in the U.S. now requires some postsecondary education. However, many students who arrive on a college campus don’t complete their college education — oftentimes, they are often saddled with student debt without that valuable degree in hand. And unfortunately, race, ethnicity, and family income continue to factor into a college student’s ability to enroll in, afford, and complete college.
EdTrust works to ensure that Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds have greater access to colleges and universities, and that those institutions make college affordable, welcoming, and enroll students and hire faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.
EdTrust brings together advocates and national thought partners with congressional staff, executive agency staff, and stakeholders from the education, civil rights, disability, and business communities to achieve and implement federal policies that advance education equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. We use policy analysis, messaging, and legislative and regulatory strategic thought to educate, engage, and build demand for EdTrust’s education equity agenda among, and alongside, federal policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates and partners.
In certain states, EdTrust seeks to drive conversations about how the state’s public education system can better serve students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, pre-K through college. We bridge policy and community by engaging and equipping education stakeholders, including civic organizations, education equity coalitions, thought leaders, educators, policymakers, families, and youth. Working alongside advocates, EdTrust draws attention to inequities that disproportionately impact underserved students; equips partners with actionable and accessible advocacy tools; and builds capacity and collective will to demand and secure equity-advancing policy and practice.
Erasing Opportunity: How Trump’s Education Policies Harm Black College Students The Trump administration’s policies have reversed the advancements made, putting Black students at increased risk
When I attended college during the entire Obama administration, the atmosphere for Black students felt different. While challenges existed, there was a growing sense of possibility: federal investments in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were increasing, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs were expanding, and student loan affordability was being taken seriously. There was a shift toward making higher education more equitable, and we were hopeful.
Fast forward to today, and there’s a fervent backlash against anything that contains the letters DEI. The current administration’s policies have reversed many of the advancements made, putting Black students at increased risk. As Trump pushes forward on his campaign promises laid out in Project 2025 — including an education agenda that will undoubtedly leave millions of students in the rearview — higher education will become less accessible and more of a financial burden, jeopardizing the academic, mental, and emotional well-being of Black students across the nation.
While coordinated attacks on racial equity are just one of many strategies in Trump’s sprint to gut federal agencies that serve crucial roles in the function of our democracy, it also poses a danger for Black students in higher education who now face being on campuses where support structures are being removed, history is being censored, and economic barriers are growing steeper.
Join us! EdTrust is an equity-driven, data-centered, and student-focused organization with the mission of dismantling the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. And we want YOU to help make our mission a reality!
We believe that, at its core, education equity starts with building relationships and community — with advocates, educators, and policymakers joining forces to eliminate education injustices together. Currently, team members work from EdTrust offices in the following locations: our national headquarters in Washington, DC, California (Oakland or LA), Michigan, New York (or New Jersey), Tennessee (Nashville), Texas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Washington State. In some cases, we can offer stipends to offset the costs of relocation or home office set-up in locations where we do not have brick-and-mortar offices.
Explore our current job openings below and join our team of bright and dedicated champions for education equity.
