The Education Trust–New York: “The Education Trust–New York supports adoption of the Universal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) legislation to ensure more high school students access the critical funding needed to make higher education possible. We urge the legislature to include Universal FAFSA in the Enacted Budget as it was originally presented in the Senate One-House budget (S8148) (Gounardes) and Executive Budget (A8806/S8306) proposal. The Universal FAFSA policy in the Senate One-House and Executive Budget proposal includes crucial language allowing opt-outs for students ..read more

Presented before the New York City CouncilCommittee on Education, Preliminary Budget HearingMarch 18, 2024 The Education Trust–New York is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to educational equity. We work to attain educational justice through research, policy, and advocacy that results in all students – especially those who are from low-income backgrounds or students of color – achieving at high levels from early childhood through college completion. Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony for this hearing. Research shows that brain development during the first three years ..read more

“The graduation data released this week strongly suggests that the graduation rate did not change pre- and post-pandemic, which raises serious concerns. These students entered high school in the fall of 2019 and had to abruptly transition to remote learning in March 2020. It is well-known that during that time, many students dropped out, became disengaged, and stopped attending school. Given this context, it is incredibly difficult to comprehend how the graduation rate for this group did not drop compared to pre-pandemic rates. Part of the answer may be that the graduation requirements were lo ..read more

NEW YORK – The Education Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Arlen Benjamin-Gomez as executive director of The Education Trust–New York. She will lead the organization’s progressive policy and advocacy agenda focused on educational equity for all New York students from birth through higher education and into the workforce. “Education is fundamental to democracy and self-determination. When students of color and those from low-income backgrounds are systematically under-educated, we rob generations of kids from reaching their full potential,” said Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, executive dir ..read more

By Amy Lee Funes, Ed Trust–NY and Raising NY Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy Lab member My son Leo is an active, happy four-year-old preschooler on the Autism Spectrum. As with any child, he has many needs — whether it is having access to special diets, programs that support his development, or anything that comes up day-to-day. When Leo was younger, I had to make the difficult decision as a single mom to leave the workforce permanently due to the lack of affordable child care in my Queens, New York community. The Empire State Child Credit — which provides up to $100 per child for children ..read more

Completing the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) and other state aid forms can open doors to more postsecondary opportunities by making college more accessible and affordable for low-income backgrounds, immigrants, and first-generation students. Students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to enroll in college immediately after graduation. Yet by the end of June 2023, over 40% of high school seniors across New York State did not complete the FAFSA, meaning millions of dollars in financial aid — including an estimated $226 million in Pell Grants — were left behind. To that e ..read more

On Tuesday, January 30, The Education Trust–New York launched the New York Campaign for Early Literacy, a statewide movement of more than 80 organizations and individuals to improve student reading outcomes. The Campaign, a natural next step in our work on early literacy, seeks policy changes at the state and local levels that promote the use of evidence-based instruction aligned with the science of reading. Several Campaign members and state leaders joined us at the New York State Capitol calling out the need for urgent action while acknowledging progress across the state, such as Governor Ho ..read more

February 1, 2024 Testimony provided by Jeff Smink, interim executive director, Ed Trust–NY Hello, my name is Jeff Smink, and I am the Interim Executive Director of The Education Trust–New York. Ed Trust–NY is a statewide policy and advocacy organization that seeks to close opportunity gaps that keep far too many students from reaching their full potential, especially students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. Our work is data-driven and student-centered, and we work in partnership with civil rights, education, parents, nonprofit and business organizations across the State. I appr ..read more

NEW YORK – Too many students in New York, particularly students of color and from low-income backgrounds, are not reading proficiently, requiring urgent action from state and local leaders. The Education Trust–New York announced it is continuing its work on literacy with the launch of The New York Campaign for Early Literacy today at the state capitol. The Campaign is a statewide movement designed to harness the collective voices of individuals and civil rights, education, parents, and nonprofit organizations to improve student reading outcomes, from birth to age 8. “Reading is a civil and hum ..read more

The Education Trust–New York: Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State includes several important proposals that will advance educational equity for New York children and families. The Education Trust–New York looks forward to working with the Governor and Legislature to ensure the following proposals are included in the enacted 2024 State Budget. K-12 Education Early Literacy We applaud the Governor’s proposed state investment in early literacy aligned with the science of reading. This proposal would help to ensure that districts across the state are providing evidence-based literacy instruc ..read more