The Equity 8 2026 EdTrust‑West’s 2026 Equity 8 outlines eight essential bills and budget proposals advancing educational equity across California—from early learning and K–12 to college and statewide systems.

Let’s celebrate the great work from EdTrust-West.

Last week, the team released their 2026 #Equity8 — an annual set of eight state budget items and bills with the greatest potential to advance educational equity in California.

https://edtru.st/4cwq8wM

Young Learners, Missed Opportunities High-quality early childhood education (ECE) is important to the rapid development that happens in the first five years of…

We should be doing everything we can to set our kiddos up for success from their earliest years. At a moment when public schools are under attack, we must ensure students have equitable access to a high-quality education. Strong investment in pre-K may be one way to do so.

https://edtru.st/3Qgt7C7

Supports to help students access are essential because they link education to real economic opportunity. They translate learning into skills the labor-market needs, reduce time and cost to credentials, and support entry into stable, middle-class careers. That also makes them essential to democracy.

Low-performing schools are not failing students, states that drain school resources are. Advocates and policymakers must defend “adequate, equitable, and sustainable funding” for all public schools that is buttressed with strong accountability and support. https://edtru.st/4caGT1z

Rural Western Mass. schools demand equity as funding falls short Financially strapped rural schools are again sending out an SOS. Will this be the year lawmakers listen?

This story out of Massachusetts highlights why it is so important to fund schools based on equity, and while it is not a story about vouchers, it is a story that may become more common across the country as the federal voucher program begins in many states.
https://edtru.st/4tEZMzt

Indiana's Waiver Request Abandon's Students in Low-Performing Schools Indiana is currently seeking a waiver from federal education requirements from ED. As a part of their request, IDOE wants to allow federal school improvement funding to go to any district, not just those with the lowest performing schools

Indiana is taking steps to abandon students in struggling schools and send the money for those students elsewhere. Indiana, instead, should use the money as Congress intended: for sustained, successful school improvement work.

https://edtru.st/4miQ7MA

Workforce Pell is here. EdTrust's guide makes sure states can deliver real economic mobility, opportunity, and equity.

https://edtru.st/4twwkvr

D.C. Voices: Highlights from the release of State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25 - D.C. Policy Center D.C. Voices: Highlights from the release of State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25 - D.C. Policy Center

D.C. remains subject to federal decision-making that can directly shape education funding and policy, often without full local control. Greater local authority would mean D.C. could meet the needs of its students.

https://edtru.st/41YOo5C

How Rising Need and Unstable Funding Are Shaping District Budget Decisions Right Now This school district budget season feels especially high stakes because a lot is hitting district leaders at once

This must-read blog post from EdTrust’s Qubilah Huddleston lays bare the impossible budget choices district leaders are being forced to make as student needs continue to rise while funding remains unpredictable and insufficient.

https://edtru.st/4twXm5X

School improvement is not about checkboxes. It’s about community-based solutions.

https://edtru.st/48kPOej

The Trump Administration Continues its Campaign to Defund Education Statement from EdTrust on the president’s FY27 budget

The Trump administration continues its campaign to defund education, and EdTrust continues to stand against the attack.

https://edtru.st/4bPl3k2

EdTrust-New York Finds Progress in NY Literacy Curriculum Alignment, but Warns Disproven Practices Still Persist - The Education Trust-New York % EdTrust-New York released a new analysis today showing that New York State has made progress in shifting toward evidence-based literacy instruction under the 2024 Back to Basics law but significant ga...

EdTrust-New York's latest report reveals strong progress in New York classrooms improving literacy instruction though significant inequities remain. Education reform initiatives must include comprehensive strategies to ensure all students benefit.

https://edtru.st/4v5H3hZ

Nearly three decades ago, EdTrust's "Good Teaching Matters" offering a clear-eyed look at the state of education in America and the persistent inequities that were holding too many students back. Even today, the core findings remain strikingly familiar. https://edtru.st/4m0MhHL

Advancing College & Career Readiness: A Blueprint for School Board Policy Local school systems must adopt strong, lasting policies that help ensure that all students have access to clear pathways to college, careers, and well-paying jobs after graduation

EdTrust in Texas published a blueprint for college and career readiness that is largely applicable across the country. The recommended policies are straightforward and what every student deserves:

https://edtru.st/4dPmY9x

Do Louisiana public schools need more money? State and district leaders debate funding boost. Louisiana’s state board of education has proposed a limited funding boost, while school superintendents want a bigger increase. Meanwhile, some lawmakers and others want to rethink the entire school-f...

Great work from EdTrust in Louisiana highlighting the investment gap between Louisiana’s wealthy and lower-income school districts.

https://edtru.st/40U8E8f

Understanding the Implementation of Universal FAFSA Completion Policies in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana A study of universal FAFSA policies in four states finds that they are most effective and equitable when combined with dedicated funding, opt-out flexibility, strong support networks, accountability s...

Requiring students to complete the FAFSA is an important step toward making college more affordable. But state leaders must focus on both strong policy design and meaningful implementation. Because when we get this right, FAFSA is a gateway to opportunity.
https://edtru.st/4usMuHP

These Factors Make a School More Likely to Be Labeled Failing Schools that educate large numbers of students of color and low-income children are most at risk.

EdTrust advocated for language to require GAO to review the characteristics of schools identified as in need of improvement and strategies that improve support for their students. Last week we received GAO's report.

You can read about the findings and EdTrust's take here: https://edtru.st/4rTcTMj

How two new Tennessee bills threaten entire school communities - EdTrust-Tennessee HB 793/SB 836 and HB 1711/SB 2108 won’t make Tennessee’s classrooms safer or stronger. They will inject fear into school communities and pull educators away from their central mission.

EdTrust-Tennessee is committed to preserving education access for undocumented students whose right to public schooling is under attack in the state.

https://edtru.st/4bthy2H

New data from EdTrust-New York reveals that too many students from low-income backgrounds are not completing college.

https://edtru.st/4dvDF9R

EdTrust Continues to Express Opposition to Unlawful Dismantlement of the Department of Education Statement from Roxanne Garza, Director of Higher Education Policy at EdTrust on the Inter-Agency Agreement moving the federal student loan portfolio to the Department of Treasury

At EdTrust we continue to oppose the unlawful dismantlement of the Department of Education. The plan to move the federal student loan portfolio to the Department of Treasury is illegal and puts at risk borrowers with student loans in default.

https://edtru.st/4uHAm5C

In 'Returning Education to the States,' How Far Will Trump's Ed. Dept. Go? States' requests for new flexibility from the feds will test just how far the department can go.

When the federal government encourages states to loosen school oversight and lower standards, the outcome is obvious: traditionally underserved students will pay the price through persisting and expanding opportunity gaps.

https://edtru.st/3NFWvAJ

Tennessee Is the Testing Ground for a National Attack on Public Education Tennessee lawmakers passed HB 793, an alarming bill to force schools to verify immigration status of every student. This could cause a ripple effect with devastating consequences to classrooms nationw...

Tennessee lawmakers passed HB 793, an alarming bill to force schools to verify immigration status of every student. This could cause a ripple effect with devastating consequences to classrooms nationwide.

https://edtru.st/4bheEOr

I’m incredibly grateful and honored to have been invited to deliver the 2026 Commencement Address for the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

https://edtru.st/4cPZKjc

Tomorrow, we celebrate Pi Day. As we celebrate the wonder of π, I’m reminded that talent is infinite, and our commitment to equity should be, too.

The Pell program helps more than 7 million students from low- and middle-income backgrounds afford college each year. But Pell is in a $17 billion financial crisis.

Congress must ensure Pell remains fully funded by taking action this year!

https://edtru.st/47tapwC

This is a great article from EdTrust’s Eric Duncan and The Hunt Institute’s Sean Banks on creating a pipeline of diverse and strong classroom teachers and school leaders that fuels national progress, economic growth, and civic engagement.

https://edtru.st/4boc484

State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25: Forward momentum - D.C. Policy Center State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25: Forward momentum - D.C. Policy Center

Today, I was thrilled to provide the federal advocacy perspective at the D.C. Policy Center’s State of D.C. Schools Briefing.

My main takeaway: All our students are brilliant. We need to not just say it but embrace it.

https://edtru.st/4ls2Zj9

New research from EdTrust-Midwest: Michigan Has a Leaky Teacher Workforce Pipeline. But We Can Fix It!

As Michigan strives to be a top 10 state for education, investment in teacher pipelines is a must. https://edtru.st/3P3mqCI

What lessons could students lose under "patriotic education"? The Trump Administration has plans to enforce a new kind of curriculum in schools, one that would sanitize American history and even further remove the honest, dark history of the United States' past. It is called patriotic education, and the goal of th...

What lessons could students lose under “patriotic education”?

In this must-watch video, the amazing educator and 2022 Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell explains what’s at risk.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CHKnkDmJKJ4

A Child Misses 3 Weeks of School. Should Protective Services Step In? A growing number of states are debating whether to alter their policies on summoning child protection officials if a student has excessive absences.

It’s great to see states considering and implementing steps that reject punitive actions around addressing chronic absenteeism. Punishing families, or viewing families as the problem, does not solve chronic absenteeism, but engaging with families does.

https://edtru.st/46HbSPQ