Committee for Equity and Excellence in Education

06/09/2026

Having Black teachers and other educators of color improves students’ classroom experiences, research shows. They often serve as role models, set high academic expectations and teach material that connects to students’ lives outside of schools.

This can lead to higher standardized test scores, better school attendance and more classroom engagement – particularly when it comes to students who share their teacher’s racial or ethnic background, but also for all students.

Yet over the past four decades, the teacher workforce has barely become more diverse, even as the student population has changed.

In the late 1980s, about 70% of public school students and over 85% of teachers were white. Today, the public teacher workforce is still around 80% white, compared with fewer than 50% of students.

https://theconversation.com/black-teachers-improve-outcomes-for-all-students-but-the-profession-remains-largely-white-281716?fbclid=Iwb21leASQpt9jbGNrBJCm12V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrcFpIaket3WbcY-Nb9pMh9L-RHmVBpSAcIb-17XjGyq6LN_aiLoFLi-1290_aem_1q4lWB01NOVik7nYbIlh7g

06/03/2026

Across the country, a ‘teacher-led movement' is demanding new cellphone policies to curb the constant distractions and disruptions to learning.

06/01/2026

Congratulations to all the young people and educators at OPRF on completing another year of school. And special congratulations to the graduates heading out to the next step on their journeys. Enjoy the summer! #2026

05/29/2026

Public funds belong in public schools for the public good.

📢 Our call is clear: Public funds belong in public schools! And we must ensure that all children can thrive in the classroom.

In the past decade, private school voucher spending across the U.S. has exploded — without regard for the detrimental effects on students, families and communities.

05/27/2026

The availability of funds for construction at confirms what we have been saying for years: there is plenty of money to pay for whatever educational supports our students need. The board should move now to implement those supports.

05/22/2026

Over the past five years, the OPRF School Board has taken millions of dollars that should have been used to pay for students’ education and used it to pay for capital expenses. Now, they want to take $14 million more. They have scheduled a vote at the May 28th school board meeting to transfer these funds from the education and operations funds to the capital projects fund. This is an egregious misuse of monies that should be used to pay for teachers, for aides, for targeted tutoring, for remediation, for acceleration – for educating our young people. Instead, they are using it to pay for capital improvements that the board and administration have guaranteed us would not impact students’ learning. The physical facilities of a school building are certainly important, but they should never come at the expense of teaching and supports. We believe that this move is deeply unpopular in the community and that the only reason there has not been more protest is that most community members are not aware it is happening. Please contact the school board at [email protected] to ask them to vote no on this budget transfer and prioritize funding actual educational services for our young people.

05/20/2026

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education case, rejecting the “separate but equal” doctrine that allowed school segregation. In the ruling, the court found that segregation violated students’ 14th Amendment rights to equal protection under the law. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Yyq6hz

05/11/2026

We need to fully fund public education.

📣 TODAY: RSVP to join the SPLC and allied orgs virtually for a discussion of private school voucher efforts and steps you can take to oppose them 🔗: https://bit.ly/4d005hB

This timely discussion outlines the disturbing past and present of private school vouchers and why the federal private school voucher program will be harmful to schools in your state.

05/08/2026

Black Lives Matter...always.

we remember Ahmaud Arbery, born in 1994.

Arbery was a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and killed while out for a run in Brunswick, Georgia, in 2020. His killing and the delay in arrests sparked national outrage and renewed calls for accountability and justice.

His life, and the circumstances of his death, continue to shape conversations about racial violence and public safety.