School Climate

When schools have positive, safe, and supportive climates, they are better positioned to produce equitable academic outcomes for students — particularly Black, Latinx, Native American and Asian American and Pacific Islander students — who have been impacted by biases embedded in our education system.

As students continue to recover from the pandemic, mental health and social-emotional support are critical. We also need inclusive school cultures that prioritize recruiting and retaining educators and school staff of color, which is essential to meeting the needs of New York State’s diverse student population.

As schools continue to recover from the pandemic, mental health and social-emotional support and inclusive school cultures that prioritize recruiting and retaining educators, school leaders, and counselors of color are essential to meeting the needs of New York State’s diverse student population.

Our Equity-Centered Approach

We support policies that increase the number of counselors, educators and school leaders of color in school buildings, provide mental and health services in schools, holistically address chronic absenteeism, implement restorative justice practices, and other positive alternatives that keep students in the classroom. Such policies mitigate disruption in learning and dismantle barriers that prohibit children from attending school and feeling welcomed once there.

Latest Resource

Report: School Leader Diversity in New York State

School leader diversity benefits students from all backgrounds and is an important factor affecting students’ success in schools. Attending a school with a principal of color has positive impacts on academic outcomes for students of color. Yet school leader diversity statewide reveals that more than half of students attend schools without any leader of color. 

Featured Reports and Resources Over the Years

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Blog: In NYCPS, Brown v. Board remains…unfulfilled


All students in New York City deserve equitable opportunities — and benefit from integration policies and culturally responsive-sustaining practices. It’s up to city and state leaders to honor the Brown v. Board of Education decision by not only prioritizing integration but also continuing work on culturally responsive and sustaining education policies and practices.

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Statement: EdTrust-New York Denounces New Policy on Immigration Arrests in Schools

EdTrust-New York strongly condemns the Trump administration’s decision to allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools. This policy directly threatens the safety and well-being of students who are undocumented and from mixed-status families, driving many to avoid school out of fear.

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Report: New York State’s Suspension Crisis

In this policy brief, The New York Equity Coalition adds its voice to the growing movement to protect students from exclusionary discipline. The report explores new data on how New York school districts disproportionately target Black students with suspension and points to specific policy solutions that can protect students and support educators.
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Blog: 5 Things to Know About the Influx of Migrant Students in New York

Migrant students may face and present unique challenges to education systems, and they add to the great diversity of our state and our history of resilience and opportunity. It is important to keep their strengths as well as their needs in mind as we welcome them into our communities and advocate for their educational needs so that they too can share in all that schools have to offer.

Data Snapshot

Only

of young adults in New York State said they had access to mental health supports in high school.

In the 2022-23 school year, nearly half of Black (46.4%) and Latinx (43.7%) students were chronically absent, compared to just 24.7% of White students.

More Resources

Event Recap: Moving New York Forward: A Look at EdTrust-New York’s Recent Impact

On April 3, EdTrust-New York’s executive director Arlen Benjamin-Gomez joined Lisette Nieves, president of the Fund for the City of New York, and Denise Forte, president and CEO of EdTrust national, to discuss EdTrust-New York’s recent impact report and how the organization can build on the momentum to act with urgency and speak truth to power in the coming years.

Advancing Black History in Education: Bright Spots from New York State

At the core of any curriculum is the school community — its culture, educators, and the materials that reflect the diversity of its students. A district in NYS’ adoption of this Black Studies curriculum is one example of prioritizing and advancing Black history in the classroom, and similar efforts are taking shape across the state to support educators in teaching Black history.

EdTrust-New York Denounces Trump Administration’s Policy on Immigration Arrests in Schools

EdTrust-New York strongly condemns the Trump administration’s decision to allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools. This policy directly threatens the safety and well-being of students who are undocumented and from mixed-status families, driving many to avoid school out of fear. Schools must remain safe, welcoming, and supportive environments for all students and their families, regardless of immigration status. This policy directly undermines that core principle.