For far too long, millions of children in America have been denied the opportunity to receive a high quality education.  Inequities in funding and resources place poor children in low-performing schools with inadequate facilities and often ineffective teachers. Practices such as tracking, retention, out-of-school suspensions, and one-size-fits-all zero tolerance policies continue to contribute to the discouragement, disengagement, and eventual dropout of countless children in America.  Instead of serving as “the great equalizer,” American public education has served as a portal to the cradle-to-prison pipeline, leading poor and minority children to lives marked by school dropout, arrest, and incarceration.

CDF's Education Policy Team is committed to improving outcomes for children in school and in life by working to transform American education and set it on the path towards equity and excellence for all children.

CDF-SRO Community Partners

CDF-SRO is constantly working to identify community partners who share in the commitment to create a better quality of life for children in the state of Mississippi. Our partners include Excel By 5, Mississippi Building Blocks, and Stewpot Community Services. CDF-SRO's leadership serves on the boards of these organizations. This is just a small representation of our education partners.

New Data on K-12 Education

CDF's new report The State of America's Children® 2011 is a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on key child indicators, including K-12 education. Among other selections, the Education section of the report includes data on education spending, school discipline, high school dropouts, and student achievement. American education was once the envy of the world, but now it is in dire straits. Did you know that more than 60 percent of fourth, eighth and 12th grade public school students are unable to read or do math at grade level? Children of color face even greater risk with nearly 80 percent Black and Hispanic students in these grades unable to read or do math at grade level. Contact your members of Congress and tell them to invest in education programs such as Head Start and Pell Grants and to close corporate loopholes to raise revenue.