Here's what we're reading:

The Power of a Wealthy PTA
Author Suzanne Cope explores how parent-teacher associations can wield significant financial power in their communities and often exacerbate inequities in school funding.

How Universities are Addressing Slavery and Reparations
WNYC’s The Takeaway reports that many colleges and universities have begun to acknowledge their role in the nation’s legacy of racism and are exploring how to address reparations for slavery.

College Students With Homelessness, Foster Care Backgrounds Need Help Building Network
University of Georgia professors Kim Skobba and David Meyers highlight key findings from their research on the education, housing, and life experiences of 33 students at 12 colleges across the state of Georgia. They found that while earning a college degree can mitigate some of the challenges young people who have experienced homelessness or lived in foster care face, these students often continue to struggle financially in adulthood.

Colorado districts aren’t getting enough state money to maintain schools and attract teachers. So they’re turning to local taxpayers.
Many Colorado districts are relying on school funding from grants and local taxpayers due to the lack of adequate state education funding. According to Tracie Rainey, executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project, districts are operating with about $572 million less in state funding than they need this school year.

This District Tapped Students’ Histories to Create an Ethnic Studies Curriculum
Artnelson Concordia, an educator who coordinate the Ethnic Studies program for the San Francisco Unified School District, writes that her students’ overall academic performance improved after she introduced an ethnic studies course for high school freshmen.