Education
Education has been at the core of the civil rights struggle for decades, and the importance of high quality public education for all is no less critical today. Education is one of the central links to an individual’s access to lifelong opportunity, and the current state of inequity in public education has both personal as well as societal implications. The provision of equitable public education for all is a critical and mandatory component of a just, democratic society and our failure to provide high quality education to all our nation’s children represents a moral, societal and democratic failure.
There are a number of issues today that act as barriers to a more equitable arrangement from the absence of high quality childcare for low income families and children of color to the pervasive segregation that can be seen across the education pipeline. The Kirwan Institute is committed to realizing a more just and equitable society through the establishment of equitable education for all, and thus is engaged in a number of initiatives to address this topic including the Democratic Merit Project and the ongoing work following the Supreme Court Decision in the Seattle/Louisville case.
Like every structure in society that confers benefits to individuals unequally based on race and class, we recognize that public education is part of a larger system with lifelong implications for both individual and group-based success. Our approach to education broadens the current understanding and dominant dialogue however that only those relegated to low achieving schools are harmed. We recognize through our work and scholarship that inequitable educational arrangements ultimately harm all members of society—socially, economically, psychologically and spiritually. Our education reports, presentations, articles and projects are framed within this understanding of linked fate, and work to improve education across the pipeline for the benefit not only of individuals, but for our society.
Relevant Reports
The Benefits of Racial and Economic Integration in Our Education System: Why This Matters for Our Democracy
Full Report (pdf, 7.4 MB) and Summary Report
Rebecca Reno and Marguerite Spencer. (February 2009)
More information on the report
K-12 Diversity: Strategies for Diverse & Successful Schools (pdf)
Mikyung Baek, Samir Gambhir, Jason Reece, Rebecca Reno and Christy Rogers (July 2007)
Related Projects
| Status or Completion Date | Project Description and Links to More Information | Research Area |
|---|---|---|
| Active | The Democratic Merit Initiative | Education |
| Active | K-12 Integration: In Response to Seattle/Louisville | Education |
| Active | Middle College Multicultural Educational Exchange Program | Education |
| Active | Initiative for New Orleans Educational Reform | Education |
| October 2006 | Amicus Brief to the United States Supreme Court: Seattle/Louisville | Education |
| October 2005 | Economic Segregation in Ohio’s Schools | Education |
