Search

This brief presents findings describing how Pennsylvania compares to other states in providing its students with access to educational opportunity. Following a more detailed discussion of the indicators used to define educational opportunity, Pennsylvania's rankings on overall access are first examined and then how Pennsylvania compares to other states on gaps in access to educational opportunity between (1) White and Black students, (2) White and Hispanic students, and (3) students eligible for free/reduced price lunch (FRPL) and students who are not eligible (non-FRPL). Finally, the report discusses how racial gaps in access to education vary when separately examining subsets of schools characterized as having high-, medium-, or low-concentrations of student poverty.

"Where Do We Go Next?" explores three interconnected areas of young people's lives that have been particularly salient over the past year and are fundamental to supporting their learning and growth in the future. Those three areas are young people's sense of wellbeing, including their mental health and relationships; their opportunities to learn about race and racism in school and how that affects the ways they understand and engage with the world around them; and their plans for after high school and sense of readiness for pursuing those plans.