School Climate
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
Blog: In NYCPS, Brown v. Board remains…unfulfilled
Statement: EdTrust-New York Denounces New Policy on Immigration Arrests in Schools
Report: New York State’s Suspension Crisis
Blog: 5 Things to Know About the Influx of Migrant Students in New York
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
EdTrust-New York Education Platform for New York City
Discover what New York City’s next mayor must do to protect students, defend equity, and strengthen education from early childhood through college.
Federal Shutdown Disrupts Critical Supports; EdTrust-New York Commends State Efforts and Urges Swift Federal Action
We commend Governor Kathy Hochul for taking swift action today by announcing an additional $65 million in emergency food assistance for New York State. Over the past week, she has directed $41 million in emergency funds to feed New Yorkers, bringing the total investment in food security to $106 million.
EdTrust-New York FY27 Executive Budget Request
EdTrust-New York’s 2026 policy agenda is premised on the belief that all children can succeed in school when provided with high-quality, culturally relevant instruction and support that is equity-driven, data-centered, and student-focused. To improve outcomes across the state, particularly for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, EdTrust-New York advocates for an equitable system of education that helps schools meet the following milestones.
How New York Can Protect Students and Educators from Federal Attacks on Educator Diversity
Federal threats may aim to turn back the clock, but New York has the chance to lead. By safeguarding diversity, equity, and opportunity in education, the state can model what it means to stand up for students — and to invest in the educators of color who will shape the next generation.
EdTrust-New York Condemns Federal Move to Defund NYC Schools Over Trans Student Protections
By threatening to strip $15 million in magnet school funding next year, and an additional $36 million in future years, the administration is attacking student’s civil rights while jeopardizing resources that drive equity.
New Data from the New York Equity Coalition Reveals Persistent Racial Gaps in Educator Representation and Retention
The interactive tool lets users explore disparities in student and teacher demographics, teacher retention rates by race and ethnicity, and district-specific data across various types of school communities, including New York City, the Big 4 districts (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers), and diverse geographic areas such as urban, suburban and rural areas.