WASHINGTON<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0The Leadership Conference Education Fund \u2014 joined by the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF),\u00a0Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), and the National Women\u2019s Law Center (NWLC)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0held a press briefing to discuss urgent education priorities for 2023. The civil rights community detailed threats and opportunities for students in the new year and foreshadowed what to expect. Experts and advocates spoke on the Supreme Court challenges to federal student loan debt cancellation and affirmative action in higher education, in addition to school discipline, threats to equal educational opportunity, and early care and education.<\/p>\n Audio of the call is available\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>, and video is available\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe know that education policy decisions must be informed by the values, priorities, and experiences of marginalized people. For too long, people of color, Native people, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, immigrants, religious minorities, English learners, girls, low-income people, and other marginalized people have had their stories told by someone else. Their opportunity to attend a school that is warm, welcoming, and that prepares them for the full exercise of their social, political, and economic rights has been denied,\u201d said\u00a0Liz King, senior director of education equity at The Leadership Conference Education Fund.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAs students, families, educators, and school communities continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that a return to 2019 isn\u2019t good enough. Normal isn\u2019t good enough. Every child deserves access to an excellent equitable education that prepares them for the future. It is their right and our national imperative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are alarming attacks on education equity and pathways to economic opportunity, especially for Black and Latinx people, on this year\u2019s Supreme Court docket. It\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult for students to realize the full potential of their education between the threat of insurmountable student debt exacerbated by COVID-19\u2019s severe financial setbacks, along with a concerted effort to overturn affirmative action and turn back the clock on diversity and equal opportunity,\u201d said\u00a0Genevieve \u201cGenzie\u201d Bonadies Torres, associate director of the education opportunities project at the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law<\/strong>. \u201cWe urge the court to affirm President Biden\u2019s debt relief plan, which would provide essential relief for Black and Brown borrowers \u2014 especially women of color \u2014 who are still recovering from the economic fallout disproportionately shouldered during the pandemic. The Lawyers\u2019 Committee is committed to fighting for every student\u2019s right to receive a quality education and achieve financial security, regardless of economic status, gender, or race.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll students deserve a fair shot at getting a quality education, regardless of their income, where they grew up, or their racial and ethnic background. However, while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Too many students of color must contend with systemic and interpersonal racism that detrimentally affects their educational opportunities,\u201d said\u00a0Michaele Turnage Young, senior counsel at the Legal Defense Fund (LDF)<\/strong>. \u201cLater this year, in lawsuits involving Harvard and UNC, the Supreme Court will decide whether colleges and universities can continue to consider race, as one of many factors, in admissions. It is important that colleges and universities continue to be allowed to consider the full context of applicants\u2019 experiences, including the way that racism artificially depresses the prospects of many hardworking, talented, Black, Latinx, Native, and underserved Asian American students.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll students deserve safe, healthy, and inclusive school climates. Every student deserves the opportunity to attend positive school environments that support their rights, protect against harassment and discrimination, and ensure their health and safety,\u201d\u00a0said AJ Link, policy analyst at Autistic Self Advocacy Network.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAt IDRA, we know that\u00a0culturally-sustaining schools are key to students\u2019 success. Culturally-sustaining schools are places where every student feels welcome \u2014 no one is asked to check parts of their identity at the door; everyone sees themselves and their communities reflected in the curriculum and instructional practices; diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are meaningful; and everyone feels safe,\u201d said\u00a0Morgan Craven, national director of policy, advocacy and community engagement at Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)<\/strong>. \u201cWe know that these types of learning environments are beneficial for all students and adults in a school community, and we must challenge any efforts to undermine them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are entering year four of a pandemic that pressure-tested an early care and education system already in crisis, causing devastating results across the country for early educators and families alike. For the early care and education sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare and exacerbated the deep inequities of an early care and education system that relies on families paying unaffordable sums, early educators being paid poverty level wages, and too many communities across the country lacking sufficient workforce or facilities to meet early care and education demands. These inequities disproportionately impact women and families of color. The pandemic has only brought more challenges, especially for women of color, who comprise a significant portion of the underpaid early care and education workforce and have the least access to affordable care for their children. In order to ensure that children and families have access to and are included in comprehensive, diverse, and high-quality early care and education settings, we seek policies that reflect our coalition\u2019s\u00a0Civil Rights Principles for Early Care and Education<\/a>,\u201d said\u00a0Whitney Pesek, director of federal child care policy at the National Women\u2019s Law Center (NWLC).<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIn 2023, NWLC, along with the coalition, continues to engage and educate diverse stakeholders and policymakers around these principles to protect civil rights and advance equity for children, families, staff, and providers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Leadership Conference Education Fund builds public will for federal and state policies that promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. The Education Fund\u2019s campaigns empower and mobilize advocates around the country to push for progressive change in the United States. It was founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. For more information on The Education Fund, visit<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/a>civilrights.org\/edfund\/<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Leadership Conference Education Fund \u2014 joined by the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF),\u00a0Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), and the National Women\u2019s Law Center (NWLC)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0held a press briefing to discuss urgent education priorities for 2023. 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