Southern Education Foundation Releases EVES II: New Report Examines How Expanding Educational Opportunity Can Strengthen Economic Growth and National Development

July 16, 2026 (ATLANTA) – The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) today released Economic Vitality and Education in the South, Part II: Projections for a Post-Pandemic South (EVES II), a new report examining how projected growth in key industries such as healthcare, technology, and business is raising urgent questions about whether current education systems are preparing enough young people to fill the roles the nation will depend on in the years ahead.

Drawing on post-pandemic data and workforce projections, EVES II finds that disparities in access and opportunity across early childhood, K–12, and postsecondary education are limiting the pool of candidates prepared to enter high-demand fields. Current projections suggest that the country is not on track to develop the next generation of essential professionals with the skills, abilities, and technical knowledge required in a fast-changing economy.

The report emphasizes that education systems do not operate in isolation. Students’ opportunities and outcomes are shaped by the social and economic conditions around them, including access to early learning, school funding, teacher stability, technology, and family income. These factors influence whether systems expand opportunity or restrict it.

Among the report’s findings:

• Expanding access to high-quality early learning could lift generations of children out of poverty and generate returns of up to 13 percent, while increasing parental workforce participation.
• Educational opportunity, attainment, employment, income, and wealth reinforce one another in a cycle that continues to limit advancement in under-resourced communities.
• K–12 public schools face constrained resources and widening funding disparities that reduce student opportunity.
• Teacher shortages are driven not only by low pay, but also by quality-of-life challenges, including limited job support, loss of professional belonging, and pressures surrounding curriculum and classroom instruction that make it harder for educators to remain in the profession.
• Tuition at public four-year institutions exceeds $10,000 annually in most Southern states, contributing to an average student debt burden of more than $29,000 that affects families and workforce mobility.
• HBCUs and community colleges remain underfunded despite their proven economic impact.
• Short-term funding structures often lead under-resourced schools to adopt low-quality or poorly supported EdTech tools, while more affluent schools implement higher-quality technologies with sustained support, widening opportunity gaps.

“The United States cannot afford to produce a workforce unprepared for the demands of a fast-changing, technology-driven global economy,” said Raymond C. Pierce, President and CEO of SEF. “But the greater risk is not only preparation. It is failing to ensure that all students have fair access to the educational pathways that allow them to enter and lead the workforce. If we are to avoid destabilizing consequences for our economy and civic life, we must broaden and strengthen those pathways for every young person.” 

EVES II makes clear that many of the strategies needed to improve outcomes are already supported by decades of research. The challenge is whether we will implement them at scale, in time to meet the economic and social demands ahead.

Strengthening public education systems by aligning resources with evidence-based strategies is not an ideological position, but a pragmatic necessity for economic growth and national development.

“These are dynamic times in education, perhaps the most dynamic in generations,” Pierce added. “How we respond will determine whether the South and the nation can build the well-trained workforce necessary to sustain economic vitality today and in the decades ahead.”

We invite you to read the full report here. 

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The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) is the nation’s longest-standing education opportunity organization, committed to advancing education policies and practices that elevate learning for students from low-income families and students of color in the South. Since 1867, SEF has worked to disrupt systemic inequities in education by providing technical assistance to build capacity, research-based solutions, shaping public policy, strengthening advocacy efforts, and developing transformational education leaders. As a trusted convener, SEF brings together educators, policymakers, and advocates to drive collective action and lasting change across the South. 

SEF works across the entire education continuum, from early learning to and through postsecondary, to ensure every student, regardless of race, income, or zip code, receives a high-quality education that unlocks opportunity and success. Visit southerneducation.org to learn more.

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