***Educational Equity Expert Available***
In Wake of Admissions Scandal, Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) Named as a Leading Education Equity Organization
EOS Focuses on Reducing Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Low-Income Students
Seattle, WA—Amid the college admissions scandal that exposes new levels of privilege in the education system, MarketWatch names Equal Opportunity Schools as one of the top five organizations working to reduce barriers to higher education for underserved students.
Recent news reveals a more salacious side of a flawed system that favors white and wealthy students. While the story has drawn headlines, EOS recognizes these inequities are neither new nor surprising, and has dedicated their work to reduce these system-wide inequities.
MarketWatch, Morningstar, and People Magazine recognize EOS’ decade of work to expand college preparation and readiness for students of color and low-income students. The organization works across the country to close Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) equity gaps, ensuring students of color and low-income students, no matter their background or zip code, have access to academically challenging courses. Academic intensity in high school is proven to improve college completion over any other factor and is a key measure of success.
Equal Opportunity Schools has worked with over 540 schools in 29 states to help more than 38,000 (and counting) students from underserved backgrounds get placed—and succeed—in rigorous academic programs for the first time.
“We are proud to be recognized for this critical, and often overlooked work. We hope this news cycle sheds light on the systemic changes our country must make and the importance of this work,” said Kia Franklin, Senior Director, Partnerships. “This is the time to keep investing in young people. The realities faced by students from marginalized and underserved backgrounds is not new and nor are the solutions. This is a reminder that we can must address the deep inequities in our education system.”
Senior Director of Partnerships, Kia Franklin is available for media comment upon request. EOS can provide additional background information and data on systemic inequities to interested media.
Key Data Points About the System
- The AP/IB equity gap is a national problem, impacting three-quarters of a million students each year who are prepared to succeed in rigorous courses but are overlooked due to their demographics, limited information, or a false notion about who belongs in classes that will prepare them for the future.
- According to Education Trust, nearly 650,000 students of color and low-income students are “missing” from challenging, high-school coursework each school year (2013).
- Research from Cliff Adelman demonstrated that academic intensity in high school drives college completion more than any other factor.
- 73% of all jobs require more than a high school degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- People without a college education are less likely to have a job than their college-educated peers (Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce), and the likelihood of them being employed has decreased since 2015 (67% of high school-only grads age 25-64 were employed in 2015, down from 73% in 2007. During the same time period, Same aged college grads: employment only went from 84 to 83%).
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About Equal Opportunity Schools
Equal Opportunity Schools’ mission is to ensure students of all backgrounds have equal access to America’s most academically intense high school programs, and particularly that students of color and low-income students have opportunities to succeed at the highest levels. The nonprofit organization’s partnership model is consultative, collaborative, and requires a commitment to specific and measurable results. Since its incorporation in 2010, EOS has helped more than 540 schools identify tens of thousands of students of color and low-income students who qualify for – but are missing from – Advanced Placement or other rigorous levels of coursework. EOS is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
For more information, contact:
Tofa McCormick | Marketing Communications Manager | Tofa@EOSchools.org | 206.790.2940
