Strategies for Ensuring Equity in Education Access

One in five college students today is raising a child. But the systems meant to support them still reflect outdated assumptions about who college is for and what students need to succeed. Student parents—overwhelmingly women and disproportionately women of color—comprise the “new majority” of adult learners who are navigating #HigherEd along w/ caregiving, full-time jobs, and serious financial pressure. Nearly two-thirds of student parents spend 40 hours/week caring for dependents (Trellis Strategies). The demographic cliff has finally forced institutions to look beyond the 18-year-old "traditional" student. What they’re finding is a massive, motivated population that’s too often unsupported. But there are bright spots and promising strategies that others can build on. 👩⚕️ At The College of Health Care Professions, #studentparents attend in-person classes just 1–2 times/week thanks to a #HyFlex model. They also get tailored advising & coaching. 🏫 Austin Community College's Parenting Student Project has improved retention, graduation, mental health, and financial stability. Over 95% of participants stay enrolled semester-to-semester. (Russell Lowery-Hart) 💡 The Single Moms Success Design Challenge—launched by Education Design Lab and supported by ECMC Foundation—aims to boost completion rates for single moms at #CommunityColleges by 30%. Early results are encouraging. 👉Bottom line: If we want to close equity gaps and boost credential attainment, we need to treat student parents as the high-potential, high-return population they are. And doing so will have outsize, multi-generational impact. That means: ✔️ Hybrid and flexible learning ✔️ Child care and housing supports (see: Beam, formerly Edquity) ✔️ Mental & behavioral health services (see: TimelyCare)  ✔️ Affordable, outcomes-based financing (see: Ascent) ✔️ Stronger workforce pathways If you're working on strategies to unlock #economicmobility and better serve #adultlearners —or want to start— I’d love to connect!

When Words Don’t Match Action They said: “All students can learn.” But their classrooms told another story. Rows of disengaged students. No differentiation. No scaffolds. Just scripted lessons and clock-watching. A teacher once told me, “Dr. Lavert, I say I believe in equity—but I’m still handing out the same worksheet to every child.” That honesty changed her classroom. But too many keep talking the talk… while walking nowhere. Words Are Cheap. Actions Are the Receipt. Schools today are flooded with beautiful language— mission statements, equity pledges, strategic plans. But here’s the test: Do your classrooms match your claims? Do your hallway conversations echo your public values? Because when children see the mismatch, they don’t call it “hypocrisy”— they call it confusion. And confused children don’t learn. They shut down. “You don’t fix a broken system with better language. You fix it with better leadership.” — Dr. Gwendolyn Battle Lavert ✅ 5 Ways to Align Words With Action 1. Anchor Words to Observable Behaviors If you say, “We believe in equity,” show it: Differentiated lessons Flexible grouping Grade-level access with scaffolded support 📌 Words must live in the lesson plan. 2. Conduct Alignment Walks Look at: Instruction vs. stated pedagogy PD vs. daily practice Parent communication vs. school mission 🎯 You can’t improve what you won’t measure. 3. Empower Truth-Tellers Build a culture where staff can say: “This doesn’t reflect what we said we believe.” Leadership isn't about being unchallenged. It’s about being accountable. 4. Model It Relentlessly Don’t just preach excellence. Practice it. Visit classrooms. Show up prepared. Reflect the rigor you expect. 🧠 Students remember what you model, not what you mandate. 5. Correct with Courage, Not Cover-Ups If the vision isn’t showing up—say so. “We missed the mark. Now we fix it.” Nothing builds trust like truth + follow-through. Quick Reference Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. Lavert, G. (2025). Who Says I Can’t: A Four Year Plan to Erase the Reading Gap and Achieve Proficiency By Fourth Grade. Call to Action: If you’re a school leader—walk your building this week. Ask: Do our classrooms reflect our commitments—or just our slogans? If you’re a teacher—choose one belief you hold, and align one classroom practice to it this month. Start small. Stay steady. That’s how culture shifts. 🔖 Hashtags #EducationalLeadership #EquityInAction #TransformationalLeadership #AlignmentMatters #WordsAndDeeds #TheLavertStandard

🛑 Stop Translating Everything. ✅ Start Building Linguistic Access. Here’s the truth: Translation ≠ Access. Compliance ≠ Equity. 📊 72% of multilingual learners process content faster when allowed to use all their languages—yet most classrooms are still designed for monolingual minds. We don’t need more PDFs in 9 languages. We need design that honors multilingual brilliance. 💡 Try this instead: 1️⃣ Visual-first teaching – icons + diagrams > text walls 2️⃣ Translanguaging – let students think across languages 3️⃣ Celebrate home languages – make them visible, valued, vocal Multilingual learners aren’t liabilities to support—they’re leaders in the making. When we stop translating for them and start building with them, we move from survival to celebration. Let’s stop settling for compliance. Let’s start leading with intention. Language isn’t the problem. It’s the power. — 🧠 Angel Martinez | MLL Educator Reimagining equity through linguistic access. #MLLs #Translanguaging #LinguisticJustice #MultilingualMatters #EdEquity #ViralEdu #MLLEducator #AssetBasedEducation #LanguageIsPower #InstructionalDesign

“We can’t talk about health equity without talking about our schools.” - Vanessa N. Robinson, DrPH, MPH https://lnkd.in/gijkFXGM Dr. Robinson was a podcast guest for me in the past and her study in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities draws a clear line between rising school segregation and worsening racial health disparities—from life expectancy to infant mortality. Even as residential segregation held steady from 1991 to 2020, school segregation increased—and with it came deeper divides in health outcomes between Black and White Americans. But we’re not powerless. This research points to four key interventions that could bend the curve: 1) Rezone for equity. School district lines too often mirror segregated housing patterns. Redrawing boundaries and implementing controlled choice plans can disrupt concentrated disadvantage and create more racially balanced schools. 2) Create joint health–education equity strategies. Public health leaders should collaborate with school districts to align resources, share data, and target disparities. Think: equity dashboards, school-based health initiatives, and shared accountability for student well-being. 3) Make school integration a public health goal. Federal and state health agencies should formally recognize school integration as a social determinant of health—and invest accordingly. Health equity goals can’t be met without confronting educational segregation. 4) Reverse policy backslides. Many of the gains from the 1970s and 1980s were undone in the '90s when legal mandates were lifted and resegregation quietly took hold. Local, state, and federal policies must re-commit to protecting and advancing integration. This study makes one thing painfully clear: segregated schools aren't just an education issue—they’re driving multigenerational health inequities. If we’re serious about health equity, we need to start upstream. That means treating school integration as public health infrastructure. #HealthEquity #StructuralRacism #EducationPolicy #PublicHealthLeadership #SchoolIntegration #SocialDeterminants #PolicyChange

📢 In my new piece for Fast Company, I break down how colleges and states can take action now to support students—no matter what happens at the federal level. With basic needs funding in flux, we don’t have to wait for federal solutions. There are proven strategies that work: ✅ Peer navigators—Students trust their peers. Investing in student-led outreach helps more students apply for SNAP and other resources. ✅ Technology—AI tools can identify eligible students and streamline applications, removing barriers to food assistance. ✅ Policy change—States can expand SNAP eligibility and improve data-sharing to make sure students don’t fall through the cracks. Colleges and policymakers have the power to make a difference. Let’s act now to ensure students can focus on school—not survival. 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gnu8tVNX #HigherEd #StudentSuccess #SNAP #BasicNeeds #PolicyChange #PeerNavigators #EducationEquity

More than two decades as a policy advocate have taught me that even when storms are swirling around them, many people still roll up their sleeves to do the work. This Urban Institute report from December illuminates how community colleges participating in the Career and Technical Education CoLab Community of Practice are implementing student navigation strategies to improve outcomes for students of color. https://lnkd.in/eT4Z98av Kudos to Amanda Briggs, Julia P., Hailey D'Elia, Shayne Spaulding, Clair Minson, LCPC (she/her) for this work! Excerpt below: Equity-centered student navigation strategies involve: 1) using data to identify student needs, 2) providing multiple avenues to connect students to support services, and 3) leveraging institutional capacity (e.g., existing initiatives) to improve navigation and the delivery of services to students who are most impacted by systemic barriers. Examples of navigation strategies from CTE CoLab colleges include surveying students to understand their support needs, redesigning orientation programs, and offering peer-to-peer tutoring and professional development for adjunct faculty. Full report: https://lnkd.in/eT4Z98av

Education without Formal Schooling through Tablets and Tutors: Evidence from Out-of-School Children in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 Pandemic This paper examines the impact of EdTech in Bangladesh, where tablets with educational software and private tutoring were provided to out-of-school students through a randomized control trial. Positive effects on both math and Bangla language scores, with math scores increasing by approximately 0.25 standard deviations and Bangla scores by about 0.17 standard deviations. Girls benefited more from the program compared to boys, and rural out-of-school children experienced greater improvements than their urban counterparts. The program had minimal effect on noncognitive traits such as competence and self-esteem. These findings have broader implications for implementing education programs for out-of-school children, especially during crises like pandemics. Key Findings: 1. The intervention positively impacted math (0.25 standard deviation) and Bangla language (0.17 SD) scores of out-of-school children. 2. Girls benefited more from the program than boys. 3. Rural out-of-school children experienced greater improvements compared to urban counterparts. 4. Minimal impact was observed on noncognitive traits. 5. The findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions for out-of-school children and distance education during crises. Policy Recommendations: 1. Utilization of Technology:   - Emphasize the use of tablets with educational software to deliver quality education to out-of-school children, particularly in underserved areas.   - Ensure the availability of offline educational content to overcome internet connectivity challenges. 2. Personalized Tutoring:   - Implement personalized tutoring programs alongside technology-based interventions to enhance learning outcomes.   - Provide regular support and guidance to students through private tutors to address individual learning needs. 3. Addressing Gender Disparities:   - Develop gender-sensitive educational interventions to empower girls and address disparities in learning outcomes. 4. Tailoring Programs to Rural Contexts:   - Design educational programs considering the unique challenges faced by rural out-of-school children, including access to resources and infrastructure.   - Tailor interventions to address the specific needs of rural communities and ensure equitable access to education. 5. Holistic Approach to Education:   - Integrate activities that enhance self-esteem, resilience, and other noncognitive traits into educational programs. 7. Policy Implementation:   - Engage policymakers and stakeholders in designing and implementing effective education policies targeted at out-of-school children. https://lnkd.in/eu7caRiq

Chicago’s Black Student Success Plan Wasn’t Just Ambitious — It Was Urgent. A reckoning with decades of systemic neglect, school closures, and targeted disinvestment in Black education. For generations, Black students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have navigated an education system that was never built to serve them equitably. From segregated classrooms to shuttered schools, the obstacles weren't incidental — they were engineered through policy and funding decisions that deprived entire communities. 📚 Historical Context In 1980, 82% of Black CPS students attended highly segregated schools. By 2012, that number remained at 70%. In 2013, CPS closed 50 schools, overwhelmingly in Black neighborhoods. 88% of affected students were Black. Redlining and discriminatory housing policies denied Black families access to stable housing and quality schools. 🛑 After decades of systemic neglect and targeted disinvestment in Black education — including the closure of 50 predominantly Black schools in 2013 alone — what outcomes did we honestly expect? This plan is not a luxury. It’s a corrective action. 🏫 The Black Student Success Plan CPS launched the plan to begin undoing this harm by: Implementing culturally responsive curricula. Recruiting and retaining Black educators, building trust and representation. Offering wrap-around services and community partnerships. Ensuring equitable—not just equal—resource allocation and facility improvements. 📈 Early Results Show Promise Black student graduation rates have risen to 79.7% Five majority-Black schools are now rated “Exemplary” — showing that when students receive the right support, outcomes change. Yet today, this progress is under federal investigation. The current administration’s challenge to the plan suggests equity is being mistaken for favoritism. But this isn't about exclusion — it's about REPAIR. 🏘️ It’s Not Just About Schools Equity in education doesn’t begin at the schoolhouse door. It starts at home. Housing insecurity, neighborhood disinvestment, and generational poverty directly affect academic performance. Sustainable homeownership is a key factor in student success. When families have secure housing, students thrive — emotionally, academically, and socially. Sustainable homeownership isn’t just about property — it’s about permanence, stability, and the generational platform students need to focus on learning instead of surviving. ✅ This is about justice, not charity. Correction, not concession. Elizabeth Leiba Gillian Marcelle, PhD Paul Ladipo Samantha Katz Mike Green L C D D Nicol Turner Lee Shari Dunn Christian Ortiz ✊🏽Richard Venegar  https://lnkd.in/e6H3TkX5 #BlackStudentSuccess #EducationEquity #CPS #Disinvestment #Redlining #HousingJustice

Strong early education systems aren’t built along political lines. They’re built by putting effective solutions first. One approach we’ve seen consistently deliver results is the mixed delivery model. Colorado is a great example. They’ve blended bipartisan strategies with real impact: - Tax credits that unlock private investment in child care - A commitment to equity, ensuring resources reach the right places - Creation of the Department of Early Childhood to streamline administration - Language translation for all services so every family can access the system Even more powerful is how these policies show up in practice: - Coordinated enrollment systems that centralize provider information, reduce duplication, and make it easier for families to apply across programs - A single eligibility screener that helps families understand what they qualify for, across multiple funding streams - Data infrastructure that gives leaders visibility into trends, access gaps, and areas for improvement Colorado’s progress shows that when you combine flexibility, equity, and collaboration, the result is a stronger, more inclusive early education system. As you can probably tell, I’m excited by what’s happening in Colorado. If you’re curious about how these ideas might apply to your community, I’d love to chat. #ECE #ChildCareForAll #EarlyEducation #MixedDelivery #ChildCareMatters