Equity

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the fair distribution of opportunities for all students
A classroom is seen at Woodmore Elementary @ Meadowbrook on August 15, 2025 in Bowie, Maryland. In a so-called ‘swing move,’ Woodmore Elementary has relocated to Meadowbrook Elementary school until Summer 2027.
A classroom is seen at Woodmore Elementary @ Meadowbrook on August 15, 2025 in Bowie, Md. A new survey shows most teachers have begun to use some elements of what's known as equitable grading.
Pete Kiehart for Education Week
Assessment Here's What Teachers Really Think About Equitable Grading Policies
A new study examines the prevalence of policies like no zeroes or unlimited retakes in classrooms.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 20, 2025
4 min read
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
Law & Courts Trump Can't Require Schools to Certify They Won't Use DEI, Judge Says
A federal judge appointed by Trump struck down several efforts made by the U.S. Department of Education to curb educators’ use of DEI.
Brooke Schultz, August 15, 2025
4 min read
A student bikes to Miner Elementary School, a public school located between the Capitol Hill and Rosedale communities of Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025.
A student bikes to Miner Elementary School, a public school located between the Capitol Hill and Rosedale communities of Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025.
Charlotte Kesl for Education Week
School & District Management A School Pairing Plan Promised Equity, and Stirred Backlash
D.C.'s effort to pair two schools with divergent demographics backfired, dividing the community.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
16 min read
A dilapidated modular home sits in the foreground across from Union Central Elementary School in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025. The home and its location was a point of contention for parents opposed to the restructuring of the schools.
A dilapidated modular home sits in the foreground across from Union Central Elementary School in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025. The home and its location was a point of contention for parents opposed to the restructuring of the schools.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management How One District Reimagined Elementary School
Caldwell Parish, La., merged three elementary schools in part to bolster racial and socioeconomic diversity.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
27 min read
A person leaves into the unknown as people watch from inside.
Nanzeeba Ibnat/iStock + Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion It’s Time for Courageous Education Leaders to Defend Equity. Here’s How
Here’s how K-12 education leaders can create enduring equitable school systems.
Dwight E. Rhodes, July 14, 2025
5 min read
Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the annual National Association of Secondary School Principals Illuminate Principal of the Year Celebration in Seattle.
From left, Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in Seattle. They were both named the 2025-26 National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/National Association of Secondary School Principals
School & District Management Q&A ‘A Nice and Gentle Disrupter’: Meet the New Principals of the Year
The award went to middle school principal Damon Lewis and high school principal Tony Cattani.
11 min read
A group of students work together to solve the problems in their textbook during their precalculus class.
A researcher planned to present his findings about the shortage of Hispanic English learners in schools' gifted and talented programs, at the ISTE Live 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 in San Antonio June 29 to July 2.
Allison Shelley for EDUimages<br/>
English Learners Q&A Hispanic English Learners Are Underrepresented in Gifted Programs. What Can Help
A researcher outlines what schools need to do to provide better support for Hispanic English learners and their parents.
Jennifer Vilcarino, June 27, 2025
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion How to Keep Supporting Students in a Hostile Political Environment
Protecting kids outside of school may be beyond educators' means, but here are ways we can help them.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 26, 2025
10 min read
Demonstrators kneel in a moment of silence outside the Long Beach Police Department on May 31, 2020, in Long Beach, Cali., during a protest over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer earlier that month.
Demonstrators kneel in a moment of silence outside the Long Beach Police Department on May 31, 2020, in Long Beach, Cali., during a protest over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer earlier that month.
Ashley Landis/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion It’s Been 5 Years Since the George Floyd Protests. Where Are We Now?
Promises of equality and justice languished and then under Trump, were declared void.
Tyrone C. Howard, June 20, 2025
5 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon meets with students during a visit to Vertex Partnership Academies in New York on March 7, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon meets with students during a visit to Vertex Partnership Academies in New York City on March 7, 2025.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of Education
Equity & Diversity Opinion Let DEI Practices Die. Replace Them With Something Better
Individual student agency enabled by strong families and schools can lead students to success, writes a researcher.
Robert Maranto, June 5, 2025
5 min read
Conceptual image of diversity.
iam2mai/iStock/Getty
Federal What Is 'Illegal DEI?' Trump Admin.'s School Probes Start to Paint a Picture
Department probes focused on rooting out DEI have mostly targeted colleges. But the Trump administration is also looking toward K-12.
Brooke Schultz, May 13, 2025
7 min read
Chiefs signs and logos are at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., on April 25, 2025.
Chiefs signs and logos are at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., on April 25, 2025.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
Federal Trump Wades Into DEI Fight Over Native American Mascots in Schools
Scholars and Native American activists have long pushed back on schools’ use of such images.
Brooke Schultz, April 28, 2025
6 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump to Schools: Banish 'Equity Ideology' in Discipline
Trump’s latest action continues to take aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
Brooke Schultz & Evie Blad, April 24, 2025
8 min read
Tightly cropped photo of an African American woman's hands around a paper cutout of different colored paper people.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management A Superintendent's Balancing Act Amid Trump's DEI Crackdown
Districts are trying to navigate a dizzying pace of new federal orders and continue working with as little fanfare as possible.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 23, 2025
6 min read