Education News

WASHINGTON — The Leadership Conference Education Fund today released the results of a national survey exploring people’s opinions on affirmative action, diversity, and opportunity in higher education. The survey, commissioned by The Education Fund and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, found that a majority of people in America believe that diverse college and university campuses are beneficial to students, college admissions should take into account a student’s whole story, and the U.S. Supreme Court must protect affirmative action.

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference Education Fund, NAACP, and People For the American Way today held a telephone press briefing to launch the Black History Is American History campaign, an initiative to elevate the central role of Black history in America’s history and push back on the whitewashing efforts of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. The speakers called for parents and educators to use Governor Youngkin’s so-called “tip line” to voice their support for an inclusive curriculum and teaching that provides students with the accurate information they need to lead a diverse Virginia into the future. 

WASHINGTON – In response to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s so-called “tip line” to report teacher behavior and his executive order prohibiting the teaching of so-called “inherently divisive concepts,” The Leadership Conference Education Fund, NAACP, and People For the American Way today launched the Black History Is American History campaign, an initiative to elevate the central role of Black history in America’s history and push back on the whitewashing efforts of Governor Youngkin. The campaign will share directly with the governor’s office the widespread support for inclusive curriculum and teaching that provides students with the accurate information they need to lead a diverse Virginia into the future. 

WASHINGTON — A policy brief released today by The Leadership Conference Education Fund shows that, in previous moments of economic crisis, state policymakers have moved to cut education spending in favor of protecting funding for prisons, police, and courts — a choice with particularly harmful consequences in high-poverty, Black, Native, Latino, and immigrant communities.

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference Education Fund released its policy brief, “Gainful Employment: A Civil Rights Perspective,” today describing the exploitation of Black and Latino students by for-profit colleges and urging the Department of Education to enforce the Higher Education Act and protect students. Twenty-one civil rights, consumer lending, and education groups signed onto the brief, demanding Secretary DeVos propose a new rule to advance equity and protect students’ civil rights.

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference Education Fund released “Civil Rights Principles for Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates” today to urge policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure that all students can learn in safe, healthy, and inclusive environments. Fifty-seven civil rights and education organizations signed onto the principles, asking members of Congress to fulfill their role in helping educators and communities create and maintain safe schools that afford all students equal educational opportunities by incorporating these principles into all relevant legislation.

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference Education Fund will hold an ethnic media briefing on Friday, August 30, at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT to discuss our recently released policy recommendations for incorporating the Higher Education Civil Rights Coalition’s 10 civil rights principles into higher education legislation. The recommendations were drafted to engage and educate diverse stakeholders and policymakers seeking reform in higher education to offer meaningful equal opportunity and success for all students, especially students of color who have been historically marginalized.