A history of racism
and social inequality in the United States has resulted in a persistent hierarchy, which too often has prevented people of color and low-income individuals from accessing real opportunity within education and beyond.
The Reality We Work Toward…
We envision a world where every student, regardless of background, enjoys an education that propels them toward the opportunity-rich life they deserve.
How SEF Supports A New Reality…
In our effort to resolve the educational inequity that exists in this nation, we leverage research to identify and highlight issues that impact student learning outcomes occurring along racial and socioeconomic lines. Designed to educate the public to act, our evidence travels two important routes at the same time by providing capacity building support to school system leaders and advocates. School system leaders utilize research to inform their approach to reconciling the most pressing equity challenges and barriers to learning their students face. In turn, they gauge what’s working in practice given the realities that exist in classrooms across the South. Advocates take the evidence and use it in ground softening efforts with families, community members, and policy influencers to promote solutions that work for all students. Our government affairs efforts concentrate on relaying lessons learned from both the classroom and advocacy sphere, offering information to policymakers they can relate to their specific southern state context in order to advance an accountability structure rooted in equity. The outcome is the cultivation of a pipeline of leaders and an exchange of ideas across sectors and systems that advance our collective vision for educational equity.