Investing in Our Nation’s Future - Advancing Educational Opportunity for Underserved Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

Presents an evidence-based perspective on school reform and educational investment for underserved students, emphasizing economic benefits alongside policy and equity outcomes. Examines how conservative claims about public school failure can overlook the best available evidence on reforms that generate large gains relative to costs. Connects school desegregation and funding debates to broader political agendas, arguing for forward-looking research and innovative approaches to advance racial justice and genuine equality.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages78

Reading Time3 h 17 min

AccessFree to download

About the Series

A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century

Acknowledgements

Foreword

UCLA Demographic Studies Title Investing in Our Nation’s Future: Advancing Educational Opportunity for Underserved Students Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29h9c9dn](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29h9c9dn) Journal [www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu](www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu) Authors García, Emma Levin, Henry M Publication Date 2025-12-03 Data Availability The data associated with this publication are within the manuscript. Copyright Information This work is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial License, available at [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Suggested Citation: García, E., Levin, H. (2025). Investing in Our Nation ’s Future: Advancing Educational Opportunity for Underserved Students. Los Angeles, CA: The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, UCLA. © 2025 Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, UCLA About the Series A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century The Civil Rights Project was founded in 1996 at Harvard University, during a period of increasingly conservative courts and political movements that were limiting, and sometimes reversing, major civil rights reforms. In 2007 the Project moved to UCLA. Its goal was—and still is—to bring together researchers, lawyers, civil rights advocates and governmental and educational leaders to create a new generation of civil rights research and communicate what is learned to those who could use it to address the problems of inequality and discrimination. Created a generation after the civil rights revolution of the 1960s, CRP’s vision was to produce new understandings of challenges and research-based evidence on solutions. The Project has always maintained a strong, central focus on equal education and racial change. We are celebrating our first quarter century by taking a serious look forward—not at the history of the issues, not at the debates over older policies, not at celebrating prior victories but atthe needs of the next quarter century. Since the work of civil rights advocates and leaders of color in recent decades has often been about defending threatened, existing rights, we need innovative thinking to address the challenges facing our rapidly changing society. Political leaders often see policy in short two-and four-year election cycles but we decided to look at the upcoming generation. Because researchers are uniquely qualified to think systematically, this series is an attempt to harness the skills of several disciplines, to think deeply about how our society has changed since the civil rights revolution and what the implications are for the future of racial justice. This effort includes two very large sets of newly commissioned work. The first is a series on the potential for social change and equity policies in the nation. The second set of studies focuses on California, a vast state whose astonishing diversity foretells the future of the U.S. and whose profound inequality warns that there is much work to be done. All these studies will initially be issued as working papers. They will be brought together in statewide conferences and in the U.S. Capitol and, eventually, as two major books, which we hope will help light the way in the coming decades. At each of the major events, scholars will exchange ideas and address questions from eachother, from leaders and from the public. The Civil Rights Project, like the country, is in a period of transition, identifying leadership for its next chapter. We are fortunate to have collaborated with a remarkable network of important scholars across the U.S., who contributed to our work in the last quarter century and continue to do so in this new work. We are also inspired by the nation’s many young people

FAQs

What is the series’ main purpose described in the document?

It aims to connect researchers, advocates, and leaders to advance civil rights research and communicate solutions for inequality and discrimination.

What does the foreword say about economic evidence in school reform?

It argues the paper provides compelling economic evidence supporting high-profit investments in schools and highlights that some claims ignore the strongest policy evidence.

How does the document link educational policy to broader debates and funding?

It connects arguments about public school failure to resistance to increased education funding and to shifts in support away from public schooling without desegregation requirements.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James