For 22 years, we have sought to understand what children need to reach their fullest potential. This search has led us to embark on a bold thought experiment and ask:

What if the structural inequities that drive racial/ethnic disparities in education attainment in the United States were eliminated?

We share our attempt to answer that question with a new What If system simulation policy brief – “Moving Toward a More Equitable and Just Society: What would racial/ethnic justice through equitable education attainment for all Black and Latinx Americans look like?”

The COVID-19 crisis has already increased food insecurity and exacerbated education disparities among children at alarming rates. In these uncertain times, we know too well how families across the United States are finding themselves navigating social safety net and education systems that marginalize Black and Latinx children. We hope this brief contributes to the hard work of moving our nation towards an education system that embraces big ideas, targets policies that reverse the overwhelming challenges our children face, and crystalizes a call to action for all those who believe that racism and discrimination have no place in schools–or anywhere else.

About the What If? Series

Through the What If Project, Children’s HealthWatch provides real and specific models of better policy futures, working toward our vision of a future where all children’s basic needs are met, sustaining their health and enabling them to reach their potential. For this brief, Children’s HealthWatch asked, “What if the structural inequities that drive racial/ethnic disparities in education attainment in the United States were eliminated?”