Southern Education Foundation Provides Recommendations for Equitable Education Under a Biden Presidency

November 25, 2020 (Atlanta, GA) –The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) has sent to President-elect Joe Biden’s education transition team a series of recommendations for Biden-Harris education priorities that would advance equity for students of color and students from low-income families in the United States. Throughout its 153-year history, SEF has advocated for and supported practices and policies that advance education equity so that Black students, other students of color, and students from low-income families can receive a high-quality public education.

SEF’s recommendations for the new administration include:

1. Prioritizing efforts to close the digital divide through expanding the federal E-Rate program and access to broadband;
2. Supporting increasing federal funds for the Full-Service Community Schools program, wraparound services, and mental health resources for students;
3. Addressing disparities in funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and supporting funding to expand their capacity to increase the diversity of the teacher workforce;
4. Supporting expansion of Title I funding and advancing research-based school improvement methods that support teaching and learning; and
5. Incentivizing and encouraging state and local education agencies to develop goals and competencies that prioritize culturally responsive teaching and learning.

“During the campaign, the Biden-Harris Administration promised to increase funding and resources for low-income students and students of color, expand access to wraparound and mental health services for vulnerable students, provide additional funding to HBCUs, and focus on rooting out racial injustice and inequities in the United States,” said SEF President and CEO Raymond Pierce. “We are providing concrete, actionable steps for achieving those goals. We look forward to working with the new administration and the new Secretary of Education to build an education system throughout our nation in which all students are valued and have opportunities to learn and succeed.”

Read the full set of recommendations below.

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Originally founded in 1867 to educate Black children and children from low-income families in the South, the Southern Education Foundation was a pivotal source of research and data to support legislation and litigation aimed at fighting inequity in education during the civil rights era. The organization today conducts leadership development, research, and advocacy to improve educational opportunities for low-income students and students of color and achieve educational equity in the Southern U.S. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Find out more at www.southerneducationfoundation.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Gretchen Wright, gwright@southerneducation.org, (202) 421-5830