Ensuring Equity Online
The school year that is now nearly halfway complete has been exceptionally challenging for New York students and educators.
The ongoing effects of the pandemic, ever-evolving adjustments to teaching and learning, and the continued national reckoning with systemic racism are all taking their toll on educators and their students.
Yet across New York State, students and educators continue to persevere through one of the most challenging times facing schools in our lifetime.
Here are their stories.
How New York Educators are Working to Ensure Equity Online
EdTrust-New York Welcomes Key Education Investments in Final Budget, Calls for Further Action on Equity Gaps
EdTrust-New York welcomes the final state budget’s support for several of our educational equity priorities. The budget commits $4.5 billion to universal child care and pre-K, allocates $30 million for K-12 priorities, including math and literacy instruction, high-impact tutoring, and College in High School programming, and provides $1 million for Emergency Aid at SUNY and CUNY. We also appreciate the new safeguards included in the budget to protect immigrant students’ access to education at a time when students and families need additional support and clear reminders that all children belong in school. Finally, we support the changes to the Foundation Aid formula, which direct more funding to students who face the greatest barriers to opportunity, including those experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, and English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners
New Report Shows New York’s Literacy Reforms Leave Multilingual Learners Behind
EdTrust-New York released a new report, Out of Reach: The State of Multilingual Learner Literacy in New York, which finds that the state’s recent literacy reforms fail to meaningfully include multilingual learners, despite their share of the student population and persistently low literacy outcomes.
New Report Finds Thousands of Qualified New York Students “Proficient and Passed Over” for Eighth Grade Algebra 1
The New York Equity Coalition, convened by EdTrust-New York, released a new report, Proficient and Passed Over: Disparities in Eighth Grade Algebra 1 Enrollment, showing that New York schools deny tens of thousands of academically prepared students access to eighth grade Algebra 1, an essential accelerated gateway to college and career success.
EdTrust-New York Backs Gov. Hochul’s Efforts to Defend Education Access for All Students, Regardless of Immigration Status
EdTrust-New York applauds Gov. Hochul’s leadership in advancing protections for undocumented students and defends every child’s right to a public education across New York State.
Testimony for New York City Council Committee on Education Fiscal Year 27 Preliminary Budget – Education
As the largest district in the state and nation, serving nearly 1 million students, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is a key focus of EdTrust-New York’s commitment to advancing equity-focused educational efforts across the state. Such investments are even more critical this year due to federal funding cuts and attacks on critical educational equity programs. The following are our top priorities for the FY27 budget.
EdTrust-New York Finds Progress in NY Literacy Curriculum Alignment, but Warns Disproven Practices Still Persist
EdTrust-New York released a new analysis today showing that New York State has made progress in shifting toward evidence-based literacy instruction under the 2024 Back to Basics law but significant gaps remain, leaving hundreds of thousands of students without full access to instruction aligned with the science of reading. The New York Campaign for Early Literacy (NYCEL) is featuring this analysis as part of its Visions and Voices Literacy Advocacy Day to highlight the urgent need for stronger state action to improve reading outcomes for all students.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader: Reflections from the Leading Literacy Summit
New York has taken important steps to advance evidence-based literacy instruction, but lasting impact depends on how well educators are supported in implementation. This blog explores key takeaways from the inaugural Leading Literacy Summit, highlighting the role of collaboration, educator training, and community engagement in building a statewide literacy ecosystem grounded in the science of reading.
Statement from EdTrust-New York on NYC Class Size Reduction Implementation Report
EdTrust-New York welcomes this new analysis from the Urban Institute on New York City’s class size reduction law and agrees it highlights critical challenges in implementation. While the city has made progress, reaching 64 percent compliance, this report reinforces our longstanding concerns about equity, funding, and feasibility.
EdTrust-New York Statement on Assembly and Senate One-House Budget Proposals
EdTrust-New York welcomes the Assembly and Senate one-house budget bills and appreciates that both include support for several key educational equity priorities. These proposals invest in initiatives included in the Governor’s Executive Budget, such as universal child care, evidence-based math instruction, professional learning for math and reading educators, high-impact tutoring in math and reading, emergency aid for SUNY and CUNY students, and expanded financial aid through broader eligibility for the state’s Tuition Assistance Program.
New Data From EdTrust-New York Show Many Students Aren’t Completing College
EdTrust-New York released a new analysis today showing that far too many students leave college without earning a degree, particularly those who graduated from high schools serving the largest shares of students from low-income backgrounds. The analysis uses data from EdTrust-New York’s To & Through interactive tool, which allows users to explore how well New York State’s public high schools are preparing students for success in college.