Equity

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the fair distribution of opportunities for all students
Vector illustration of a large hand holding a contract and a smaller man with a large pen signing the contract while a woman in the background is clutching a gold coin and watching as he signs.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Trump Admin. Tells Schools: No Federal Funds If You're Using DEI
A letter sent out Thursday is another Trump administration to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools—and use funding as leverage.
Brooke Schultz, April 3, 2025
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6 min read
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, before signing an executive order barring transgender females from competing in women's or girls' sports. Transgender athlete policies have been a common subject of investigations into schools, colleges, state education departments, and athletic associations by the U.S. Department of Education since Trump took office.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal See Which Schools Trump's Education Department Is Investigating and Why
The agency has opened more than 80 investigations. Check out our map and table to review them.
Brooke Schultz, March 27, 2025
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2 min read
202503 Opinion Starr DEI 2155439727
iStock/Getty Images
Equity & Diversity Opinion How Education Leaders Should Respond to the Anti-DEI Crowd
Decades of essential equity-based work is under threat in our schools today, warns Joshua P. Starr.
Joshua P. Starr, March 27, 2025
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4 min read
Vector illustration concept of people being denied entrance, stopped at the door.
DigitalVision Vectors
Equity & Diversity A Wave of New Legislation Aims to Ban DEI in Public Schools
State legislators have introduced measures that would prohibit schools from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
Sarah Schwartz, March 26, 2025
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7 min read
Kindergarteners Jack Rockwell, 6, Cameron Kenney, 6, and Joey Cournoyer, 5, play on the school’s new swing as classmates wait their turn at Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge, Mass., on March 12, 2025.
Kindergarteners Jack Rockwell, 6, Cameron Kenney, 6, and Joey Cournoyer, 5, play on the school’s new swing as classmates wait their turn at Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge, Mass., on March 12, 2025. The school redesigned its playground to be more accessible, including an wheelchair-friendly swing.
Brett Phelps for Education Week
Student Well-Being Research Says Recess Is Important. What Stands in the Way?
Recess, and unstructured play, is essential for development for children, but equity issues can abound.
Brooke Schultz, March 21, 2025
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5 min read
Deeper learning prepares students to work collaboratively and direct their own learning.
There has been an uptick in political pushback against social-emotional learning, with the Education Department recently saying some schools "have sought to veil discriminatory policies" with terms like SEL.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Federal Ed. Dept. Says SEL Can 'Veil' Discrimination. What Does This Mean for Schools?
A document from the Education Department flags social-emotional learning—a once bipartisan education strategy—as a means of discrimination.
Jennifer Vilcarino & Arianna Prothero, March 13, 2025
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9 min read
Data shown on a computer screen.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness These AP Classes Were Designed to Attract Students of Color. Did They?
New data show two new Advanced Placement courses helped boost participation among Black and Latino students.
Ileana Najarro, March 7, 2025
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3 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, left, greets Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, left, greets Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The National Education Association and ACLU are suing the U.S. Department of Education over its letter seeking to end race-based programming in schools.
Ben Curtis/AP
Law & Courts Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Sues Education Department Over DEI Threats
It's the second lawsuit to challenge the guidance that seeks to end diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools.
Brooke Schultz, March 5, 2025
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4 min read
Illustration of one man speaking into a speech bubbles which shows the letters "DEI" and another man on a ladder painting over the speech bubble as a way to erase it.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors
Teacher Preparation A Teacher-Prep Conference Warned Against Mentioning DEI. Presenters Pulled Out
Presenters at a national symposium for teacher residencies were asked to affirm they wouldn't violate recent executive orders. Some refused.
Sarah Schwartz, March 4, 2025
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6 min read
Anna Otto, Computer Science and Online Learning Coordinator for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and her 9-year-old son, Aiden, who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and lives with cerebral palsy, pictured at home in Longmont, Colo., in Dec. 17, 2024.
Anna Otto, the computer science and online learning coordinator for the Adams 12 Five Star school district in Colorado, and her 9-year-old son, Aiden, who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and lives with cerebral palsy, at home in Longmont, Colo., on Dec. 17, 2024. Otto's passion for computer science is inspired, in part, by the role it has played in her son's ability to walk independently.
Jimena Peck for Education Week
Science Leader To Learn From Computer Science for All: This District Leader Is Making It a Reality
An initiative to create and expand a computer science program pays big dividends in a Colorado district.
Arianna Prothero, February 3, 2025
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13 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, delivers closing remarks and applauds students for their work during the Power of We event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, applauds students at an event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From Meet the DEI Leader Using Data—and Heart—to Foster Student Belonging
A district's DEI director uses data and an approachable style to do his work despite a challenging political environment.
Brooke Schultz, February 3, 2025
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9 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, pictured at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Virginia Beach school district, visits Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Q&A Keeping DEI Work Alive in a Hostile Political Climate
Diversity, equity, and inclusion remains a target for criticism and elimination. A DEI director is navigating his way through it.
Brooke Schultz, February 3, 2025
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5 min read
Photograph of three student engineers working on a new mechanical model. Multi-ethnic group of young people in a STEM class.
Alvarez/E+
Equity & Diversity What the Latest Civil Rights Data Show About Racial Disparities in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education released new data from 2021-22 covering students' access to STEM courses, school discipline, and more.
Ileana Najarro, January 16, 2025
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7 min read
A group of researchers encircled by data.
Kotryna Zukauskaite
Policy & Politics Opinion 'Conversation Over. Case Closed': Groupthink Is Hobbling Education Scholarship
Research isn't giving educators what they want, but a reset that encourages greater intellectual diversity is possible.
Rick Hess, January 9, 2025
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6 min read
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