What Philanthropy Can Do Now to Promote Education Equity After the Pandemic

Less than three weeks into nationwide school closures because of Covid-19, two narratives have emerged about the role of philanthropy in supporting students through the crisis. The first is the Distance-Learning Narrative and the second is the Basic-Needs Narrative. Most often, they exist as separate entities in our conversations and how we make sense of the world. Together, they tell a story of widening equity gaps. The way philanthropic investments benefit schools with large numbers of students from low-income families in this moment is fundamentally different from how it is benefitting schools in affluent areas.

As we brace for an extended economic downturn, America will face uncomfortable questions about where we put education funds, likely with fewer total dollars available. Philanthropy has a role to play in ensuring we gather critical information on both narratives during the crisis to ensure that when the recovery comes, education is provided equitably to all. A unified education agenda that places the needs of our most vulnerable students at the center depends on merging the lessons of these two distinct narratives.

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Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy