Since the beginning of 2023 and in the last months of 2022, experts have analyzed the importance of guaranteeing equal access to education in the United States.
Lawsuits by students of color at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) have sparked a conversation about what should be done about the schools' admissions policies and student climate.
"All students deserve a fair chance at a quality education, no matter where they came from, where they grew up, or their race, but unfortunately while talent is everywhere in our country, opportunity is not," said Michaele N. Turnage Young, senior counsel for the Legal Defense Fund, at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services where experts met to discuss education policy for 2023.
Young said students of color have had to deal with “systemic interpersonal racism” that daily affects their educational opportunities.
Such is the case of the lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) against Harvard and UNC, which arose because these universities took into consideration aspects such as race in the application and admission processes, which the students and the organization itself said violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"We're not talking about quotas, we're talking about the limited consideration of race as one of 40 factors in the case of UNC and one of more than 100 factors in the case of Harvard," he said, while denouncing that racism affected the admissions processes of many African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian-Americans who are hard-working and talented.
Inclusive policies are needed in schools
AJ Link, a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), pointed out the importance of having healthy school environments, as otherwise, students with disabilities, students of color, and non-binary students may be at risk.
In this regard, Liz King, Senior Director of the Educational Equity Program at The Leadership Conference Education Fund, denounced that people of color, natives, members of the LGBTQ+ community or with disabilities have been denied the opportunity to attend a school that is warm, welcoming and prepares them for the full exercise of their social, political and economic rights.
Link said that efforts must be made to ensure student rights, encourage schools to implement supportive and comprehensive discipline practices, address childhood trauma, implement protections against discrimination and harassment in schools, ensure accountability through accurate data, invest in school infrastructure, eliminate “enforcement” in schools—referring to restraint and seclusion tactics used as punishment for students—and eliminate threats to student health and safety.
“All students deserve safe, healthy and inclusive environments,” she said.
In his opportunity, Morgan Craven, National Director of Policy, Defense and Community Participation of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), pointed out that there are studies and evidence that show that culturally supportive schools are the key to student success, since a healthy and safe environment in which students feel welcome favors education and learning, compared to an environment in which students feel discriminated against or attacked because of their race, health conditions or preferences.
The economy: an obstacle for millions of students
Whitney Pesek, director of federal child care policy at the National Women's Law Center, noted that early education is sometimes much more expensive than public college.
"In more than half of the states in the country, child care and early education costs more than tuition at a public university. In addition, one study found that families spend more on their children's early education than they do on rent," she said.
He also pointed out that although there are subsidies and support, they are not sufficient for the less fortunate communities.
For her part, Genevieve "Genzie" Bonadies Torres, associate director of the Educational Opportunities Project, pointed out that African-American and Latino students are the most likely to take out student loans to continue their studies.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration has launched the student debt forgiveness plan, which borrowers can qualify for if they have a total income of less than $125,000 if they are single or $250 if they are married, and the total debt forgiveness can be up to $20,000. In addition, the plan also seeks to make payments affordable, reducing monthly payments by up to 50 percent.
"Without this relief, millions of borrowers would be pushed over the financial edge when student loan repayments resume," he said.
Finally, Torres also pointed out that studies have shown that after long pauses in payments – such as the one being experienced after the COVID-19 pandemic – there are spikes in delinquency, so the plan is designed to avoid those spikes through debt reduction and better income.
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