As COVID-19 continues to shape this academic year, many schools and organizations are striving to address racial inequities in public education.

During this pandemic, some have come to believe that educators must choose between prioritizing education that serves student needs specific to the pandemic and education that embraces and advances racial equity. The truth is, these priorities are one and the same.

If students are to return to more equitable classrooms after this crisis passes, we must center instructional strategies that affirm the needs and experiences of students who have been historically marginalized by our education system, particularly Black and Latinx students from low-income backgrounds. Many schools and organizations are already moving this work forward by developing innovative approaches to racial equity and inclusion. And they are implementing those strategies to shape classrooms right now.

Below are interviews with three of our grantees who are leading the way in deepening racial equity in schools across the country.