There is arguably no more significant topic in education than the role of educational inequality - the unequal distribution of academic resources including school funding, access to books and technology, and qualified and experienced teachers to communities that are historically disadvantaged - in forecasting student success.
As America moves to become a minority majority nation, it is predicted that white students will shrink to represent less than 50 percent of public school students by 2025. Persistent gaps in educational experience and attainment for low-income and minority children result in limited economic opportunities for these students when they reach adulthood. Federal policies like No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) attempt to correct this imbalance. But are they working? What else can be done at the federal, state, and local levels to equip minority students with the tools they need to succeed?
John B. King, Jr., President and CEO of The Education Trust and the 10th U.S. Secretary for Education, discusses the progress being made to reduce educational inequality.
