• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

March 31, 2021 Current Events in Education

White House Infrastructure Bill: What it Means for Equitable Education

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Madison Woodward

Madison is a former alternative school teacher now working in the EdTech industry. She remains an advocate for marginalized students and equity in education.
  • One Team, Separate Experiences - July 5, 2022
  • What Recent SCOTUS Decisions Mean for Education - June 28, 2022
  • Which is More Important, Equity or Winning? - June 28, 2022
  • Suddenly Teammates After a Decade of Division - June 21, 2022
  • Can Sports Heal a Segregated School? - June 14, 2022
  • I Left Teaching for a New Career. Here's Why I'm Still Mourning. - March 31, 2022
  • You Don't Hate Teaching, You Hate the System - March 15, 2022
  • The Dismantling of Public Education Part 4: Regression - March 4, 2022
  • Teachers Who Teach in Schools in Lower-Income Communities Don't Get the Respect They Deserve - February 28, 2022
  • The Dismantling of Public Education Part 3: Privatization - February 25, 2022

Just two months into Joe Biden’s Presidency and one COVID-19 relief bill later, there are talks of a substantial infrastructure bill from administration insiders. The bill, which hopes to bring job opportunities to countless Americans, includes provisions related to climate change, pharmaceutical drug affordability, and childcare. The provisions that would have perhaps the most profound effect on equity in our country would make free pre-kindergarten universal and community college free. 

It goes without saying that access to free, quality education tends to lift up our communities - however these particular aspects of our education system are critical to our most underserved populations. More specifically, if these provisions are passed they would have an incredibly positive impact on our communities of color that often still lack access to the same opportunities as their wealthier, white peers. 

Pre-Kindergarten education has been found to be extremely beneficial for children and their academic futures. Children who attend such programs arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, with more language skills, self confidence, and often fewer behavior concerns. Unfortunately, for many families Pre-K is prohibitively expensive or they face a lack of access to quality programs. In the 60’s and 70’s our country implemented the Head Start program which provided free and affordable Pre-K programming which validated what some at the time believed to be true - early intervention was critical and helped level the playing field between low-income and wealthier students. 

In many cases, access to quality Pre-K can be the first of many steps in breaking the cycle of poverty, especially for children of color. Lastly, costs associated with our juvenile justice system, social work, and education actually go down when there is wider access to universal Pre-K. Despite what some politicians who will undoubtedly oppose this potential bill might say, the cost of such a program will actually save our country money at the end of the day. 

Additionally, making community college free could impact multiple generations of people who may not have access to higher education otherwise Click To Tweet

Additionally, making community college free could impact multiple generations of people who may not have access to higher education otherwise. While community college is currently fairly affordable across the country, the costs can still exclude sectors of our population. Students who worked through high school to help put food on the table may not have the time or money to dedicate to higher education, and may not have made the grades or test scores in high school to earn them a scholarship. Other students may face other challenges in their home life which prevent them from not only affording but prioritizing their education beyond high school. 

When we provide all students the opportunity to seek higher education, we can actually see a positive impact on our overall economy. Once again, for an upfront price, we would see a return on our investment in the form of lowered societal costs by providing free community college. Besides that, more students are able to complete their degree when changes or obstacles in financial status do not impact their access - which more often affects our lower-income and students of color. Most importantly, community college provides people mobility in their economic success, personal autonomy, and strengthens their community. 

Free and universal Pre-K and free community college for all must happen for our country to look toward a more equitable and educated future. These programs have shown elsewhere that they can lift people out of financial hardship and break the cycle of generational poverty - and we need to do the same for all of our communities. There are many aspects of education that need to be reformed, and we must demand ongoing change from the Biden administration. But what better place to begin, than here?

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailEducation Reformers Without Classroom Experience Lack Credibility The Importance of the 2018 Mid-Term Elections: A Teacher’s Perspective Teachers In Action: From the Classroom to the Convention Equity in Action: Mitigating Unconscious Bias In the Classroom
« Interviewing Schools to Find the Best Fit For You
Teach to the Rest: How the Pandemic Could Be the Best Thing for Education in 20 Years »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.