Public Education Equity & Campus Food Insecurity

Posted June 21, 2019 | By Cooke Foundation Staff

Cooke Scholars work together on a project at Scholars Weekend 2014.

June 21, 2019 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. Researchers and advocates focus on equity in public education and basic needs insecurity.

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Elementary & Secondary Education:

  • Amidst continued controversy over enrollment practices at New York City’s specialized high schools, The Wall Street Journal finds that “students who were relatively well-off got extra time through 504 designations at higher rates than low-income students” on the admissions test.
  • Expanding the number of gifted and talented programs could reproduce inequalities, states a commentary from The Century Foundation with concerns about tracking.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times reports on outcomes from a college promise program provided to middle school students in 2008. Even when price itself is not a barrier, other family and life challenges can prevent students with financial need from matriculating to college.

 

Higher Education:

  • In The Hechinger Report, Angela Sanchez outlines four strategies to mitigate food and housing insecurity on college campuses.
  • “Students who experience basic needs insecurity are overwhelmingly part of the labor force,” states a new report from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. “For example, the majority of students who experience food insecurity (68%), housing insecurity (69%), and homelessness (67%) are employed.”
  • NPR outlines how to pay for college for students and families, including tips on understanding the “sticker price” and filling out the FAFSA.

 

Cooke Foundation Highlights:

  • Cooke Scholar Juliana Rodriguez Bohorquez shares advice on applying to our scholarship programs with Seminole State College of Florida: “Get proactive! Go volunteer with a group, join a club, work in an e-board position, do something so that your actions speak for themselves and shine through your application.” Receive an email reminder when the application opens in August.
  • “After focusing so much of my attention on finances for school for so long it is a completely new feeling to know that I no longer have to,” Cooke Scholar Alberto Gonzalez tells the Woodlands Online. “I have never been more excited to continue my education, meet other scholars and have the opportunities to help others reach their academic goals.”

 

Social Media Spotlight:

Photo header: Cooke Scholars work together on a project at Scholars Weekend 2014.