The U.S. Department of Education's Equity and Excellence Commission will convene its second meeting on May 23-24 at the U.S. Department of Education. The two-day meeting will provide a general update on progress since the last commission meeting, including a summary of outreach activities conducted by the Commission in April and May. The commission will also finalize details and create a framework for their developing report, which will outline educational needs across various regions and recommend ways to effectively address those needs. Commission members will present their findings and principles from the three town hall meetings that took place in San Jose Calif., Kansas City, Kan. and Philadelphia, Penn. Each town hall focused on a specific region's school resources and how they affect educational opportunity.
Established on Feb. 2 by the U.S. Department of Education, the commission is comprised of 27 members from a range of backgrounds, including education, law, tax, government, business and civil rights. The commission examines the disparities in meaningful educational opportunities that give rise to the achievement gap, with a focus on systems of finance, and recommends ways in which federal policies could address such disparities. The commission will also look at ways to restructure school finance systems to achieve equity in the distribution of educational resources and further student achievement and attainment.
For more information on the Equity and Excellence Commission'sinitiatives and members visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/eec/index.html