Toward Equitable Education

Since 2011, Grantmakers for Education has offered a series of investigative programs designed to examine the role grantmakers can play in creating more equitable systems of education. GFE's programming included place-based programs in El Paso, Texas, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland, California, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. During this time, Grantmakers for Education also produced a report called "Educating English Language Learners: Grantmaking Strategies for Closing America's Other Achievement Gap" based on surveys of education grantmakers who had a history of making grants in support of English learners or immigrants. Combined, the place-based programming and research effectively elevated key issues related to access, opportunity, and achievement for our nation's historically underserved and disconnected children. These efforts also allowed Grantmakers for Education to draw attention to the need for strategies, investments, and collaborative efforts that support education equity, and begin to highlight effective practices and initiatives from the field. This report offers a cumulative review of Grantmakers for Education's programming and research in the learning action series from the past two years and underscores the urgency of tackling the issue of equity in the nation's communities, schools, and within social and democratic systems.