- Skip to main content
- About Us
- Contact Us
- FAQs
-  Language Assistance ****    - English
  - español
  - 中文: 繁體版
  - Việt-ngữ
  - 한국어
  - Tagalog
  - Русский 

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

        - Student Loans
        - Grants
        - Laws
        - Data

# Department of Education Announces Actions to Advance Equity in Education

# Department of Education Announces Actions to Advance Equity in Education

June 9, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
Today, building on the American Rescue Plan’s historic funding for schools as drivers of equity and opportunity, the Department of Education  announced a series of actions it is taking to advance equity in education and ensure schools across the nation are serving all students. Actions include the  release of a report highlighting the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on K-12 and postsecondary students in underserved communities, the release of guidance to  implement an historic provision within the American Rescue Plan that will  ensure that the school districts with the highest poverty do not receive any per-pupil decrease in state funding below their pre-pandemic levels, and an Equity Summit Series the Department will be holding over the coming  months. The actions aim to not only address inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but encourage schools more broadly to reimagine their education systems and practices and infuse equity into all of their work, so that every student has access to rigorous, culturally responsive, and fulfilling  instruction. Today’s announcements are part of the Department’s ongoing efforts  to implement President Biden’s Day One Executive  Order to advance racial equity and support for underserved  communities across the federal government and build our schools and communities  back better than before the pandemic.

“This is our moment as educators and as leaders to  transform our education systems so they are truly serving all of our nation’s  students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “While COVID-19 has worsened many inequities in our schools and communities, we know that even  before the pandemic, a high-quality education was out of reach for too many of our nation’s students and families. Our mission at the Department is to safely  reopen schools for in-person learning, dramatically increase investments in communities that for too long have been furthest from opportunity, and reimagine our schools so that all students have their needs met. We must take  bold action together to ensure our nation’s schools are defined not by disparities, but by equity and opportunity for all.”

The actions include:

**The Department will launch an Equity  Summit Series beginning on June 22nd**

The Educational Equity Summit Series will launch virtually with the first event on June 22nd and will focus on how, as schools  and campuses continue to reopen and welcome students back for in-person instruction, they must not return to the status quo. The first installment of  the series will explore how schools and communities can reimagine our school  systems so that every student has a voice in their school and classroom, particularly students from underserved communities, including communities of  color, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners. The event will  also feature discussions on how all students can access a high-quality education responsive to their needs, and how schools can create more culturally and linguistically responsive and inclusive learning environments for all  students. The first installment will feature remarks from Department leaders, panel discussions focused on evidence-based practices and promising strategies for building equitable and inclusive environments in our schools, and insights  from leaders working to make equitable and inclusive schools a reality.  Participants include Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Dean of the University of Southern California Rossier  School of Education Pedro Noguera, 2021 School Counselor of the Year Olivia Carter, and others. Interested participants can register to attend the Summit here.  Information about additional installments in the series will be announced later  this summer.

**The Department released a new report  highlighting the disparate impacts COVID-19 has had on underserved communities**

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights  released a new  report today responding to the President’s Executive  Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation  of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. The report highlights how  COVID-19 threatens to deepen divides in educational opportunity across our nation’s classrooms and campuses if the pandemic’s disparate impacts are not adequately  addressed. The report explores how the impacts of the pandemic are falling disproportionately on students who went into the pandemic with the fewest  educational opportunities, many of whom are from marginalized and underserved communities. Observations from the report include impacts of the pandemic on both K-12 and postsecondary education students, including how COVID-19 has  deepened pre-pandemic disparities in access and opportunities facing students  of color, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ+  students, with significant impacts on their learning. The report also discusses  how many students have lost access to mental health services during the  pandemic, with early research showing disparities in negative mental-health impacts  based on students’ race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity, and other factors.  Additionally, the report includes data discussing how the pandemic has caused  heightened risk of harassment, discrimination, and other harms for Asian  American and Pacific Islander students, and recognizes that the pandemic may  have put students at heightened risk of sexual harassment, abuse and violence -  particularly girls, women, and students who are transgender, non-binary, or  gender non-conforming.

The Department is fully committed to confronting these  impacts, which threaten to affect students’ access to educational  opportunities, particularly those who already face unequal access to quality  education prior to the pandemic. The Educational Equity Summit Series will aim  to identify evidence-based practices and promising strategies to address these  disparities and explore ways states, schools, and communities can invest the  unprecedented resources provided by the American Rescue Plan and proposed in  President Biden’s budget, the American Jobs Plan, and the American Families  Plan to help close these gaps and support underserved students. 

**The Department released new guidance to  support states as they invest American Rescue Plan funds in communities and  schools with the least access to educational opportunity**

Many students in underserved communities are facing  multiple traumas as a result of the pandemic, and our states and districts must  be responsive by targeting resources in schools and communities with the fewest  resources. Last month, the Department released  guidance on how states and school districts can use American  Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and  other pandemic recovery funds to advance educational equity in COVID-19 response. The guidance includes specific ways that schools can address the  social, emotional, mental health, and academic impact of lost instructional  time and support multilingual learners, students with disabilities, students  experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, migratory  students, and other underserved students.

Today, the Department released its Maintenance  of Equity guidance to implement an important provision of  the American Rescue Plan as the nation continues to respond to the impact of  COVID-19. For the first time ever, these requirements will ensure that school  districts and schools serving a large share of students from low-income  backgrounds will not experience disproportionate budget cuts—and that the  school districts with the highest poverty do not receive any decrease in state  per-pupil funding below their pre-pandemic level. In addition, high-poverty  schools will also be protected from disproportionate cuts to staffing. These  provisions are critically important, as schools and school districts serving the greatest shares of students from low-income backgrounds have historically  been under-funded and are more reliant on state funding than schools and school districts with lower concentrations of underserved students.

**President Biden’s budget proposes historic investments in Title I to address entrenched disparities in education systems**

In addition to the historic resources the American Rescue Plan is  providing states to address inequities made worse by the pandemic, President Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget proposes $36.5 billion in formula grants for Title I schools, a $20 billion increase from the 2021 enacted level. This  investment will enable states and communities to reinvest in historically  under-resourced schools and reimagine their education systems so all students can access high-quality education and have the support they need to succeed. The investment will provide meaningful incentives for states to examine and  address inequities in school funding systems, as well as ensure teachers at  Title I schools are paid competitively, provide equitable access to rigorous  coursework, and increase access to high-quality preschool. States would be  required to collect and report data analyzing gaps in these key foundational  areas, and work with their districts to make plans to address them. As we look  beyond recovery from the pandemic, we must ensure resources and support are  reaching communities that have been most under-resourced, and this historic  proposal will help make more equitable schools a reality for more students. For  additional detail on this proposal, including the need for urgent action in  these areas, please see the President’s  FY 2022 Budget request.
   -  Tags: Press Releases
          How Do I Find...?    - Student loans, forgiveness
- Higher Education Rulemaking
- College accreditation
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- FAFSA
- 1098, tax forms
- More...
      Information About...    - Elevating Teaching
- Early Learning
- Engage Every Student
- Unlocking Career Success
- Cybersecurity
Search press releasesSearch for:      Find By Month    - February 2024 
- January 2024 
- December 2023 
- November 2023 
- October 2023 
- September 2023 
- August 2023 
- July 2023 
- June 2023 
- May 2023 
- April 2023 
- March 2023 
- All Press Releases
             
*Our mission* is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
- Student Loans
- Repaying Loans
- Defaulted Loans
- Loan Forgiveness
- Loan Servicers
- Grants & Programs
- Apply for Pell Grants
- Grants Forecast
- Apply for a Grant
- Laws & Guidance
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- Civil Rights
- IDEA Website
- Data & Research
- Education Statistics
- Postsecondary Education Data
- ED Data Express
- Nation's Report Card
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Open Data Platform
- COVID Relief Data
- About Us
- Contact Us
- ED Offices
- Jobs
- Press Releases
- FAQs
- Recursos en español
- Budget, Performance
- Privacy Program
- Homeroom Blog
- Notices
- FOIA
- Privacy Policy
- Accessibility
- Security
- Information Quality
- Inspector General
- Whitehouse.gov
- USA.gov
- Benefits.gov
- Regulations.gov