Minnesota Ag Connection - Equity in Education Focus of White House Roundtable

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Equity in Education Focus of White House Roundtable
Minnesota Ag Connection - 10/20/2016

Conversations surrounding equity in education continue at the Federal level, including an Evidence in Education Roundtable held in Washington D.C. Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) developer and executive director of the BARR Center, Center City, Minn., Angela Jerabek, presented evidence from her work in BARR as well as the Investing in Innovation (i3) grants that supports the promise of equity among students.

Hosted by the White House Office of Domestic Policy, the event featured presentations by policy, research and innovation leaders from the U.S. Department of Education; members of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and education practitioners.

Attendees at the event included approximately 30 education thought leaders, including representation from the U.S. Department of Education, the Arnold Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, Knowledge Alliance, Success for All, the Institute of Education Sciences, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.

"The need to drive student equity continues to steer national conversation between some of the most innovative minds and influential voices in education today," said Jerabek. "My experience over the past 18 years has taught me that questions related to evidence and equity are inextricably linked. Evidence advances equity.

"A first step in addressing the gap is being able to identify exactly where the gaps exist across schools and even more critically, within each school. By coupling the analysis of student data with the implementation of proven strategies, schools can close gaps, while improving outcomes for all students. BARR's structure for helping schools collect and analyze data becomes the impetus for impacting educational outcomes for low-income students and students of color."

BARR's impact on a school's ability to close the achievement gap has been proven by independent evaluations. Jerabek presented compelling findings from the BARR 2010 i3 development grant study that met What Works Clearinghouse Standards without Reservation.

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