Despite generations of efforts, low-income schools serving predominantly students of color continue to suffer from persistent racial disparities in educational outcomes. Students who are most impacted by educational inequality have critical insights that may challenge ignorance and certainty around how to build a more effective U.S. education system—yet their voices are rarely heard and often overlooked. We work to harness the underutilized knowledge of society’s most marginalized students to inform and improve education research, policy, and practice.

Private universities have played pivotal roles in the U.S. economy, culture and politics, yet today they face unprecedented levels of public skepticism and distrust. We take this problem as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revisit and revise the relationship between private universities and the American people.

The growing popularity of AI in education introduces a complex set of teaching and learning, technological, and law and policy challenges, from the ability of personalized learning programs to close achievement gaps to how existing civil rights laws may apply to racial discrimination resulting from AI usage. We examine these emerging issues through research, policy analysis and development, and engagement with civil society partners to maximize AI’s potential for advancing educational equity while mitigating its risks of exacerbating racial disparities.

Since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling striking down the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions, universities face a radically altered landscape, grappling with far-reaching implications for admissions processes, campus policies, and institutional missions. We are convening leading scholars to discuss the path forward for higher education institutions, analyzing the uncertain legal and policy landscape, and sharing our analysis and insights to guide policymakers, institutions, and college-bound students and their families.