As the places where children spend most of their time learning, we want our schools to reflect the world we would like to see; to reduce inequity rather than increase it. In order to do that, we must rethink the way we approach schooling, shifting from a focus on changing student behavior and mindsets to changing systems and adult mindsets.

In the current public education system country-wide, Black, Latinx, and low-income students of all races are two years behind their wealthier, predominantly white peers in reading and math by the end of the fourth grade. By eighth grade, they have slipped three years behind, and by twelfth grade, four years behind.

Across the nation, there are dramatic examples that show there are significantly better, measurable outcomes that are possible for our children. It all starts with one key factor: transformational school leadership.

Without truly effective and transformational principals working to ensure that children growing up in low-income households have access to great schools, we will continue to have the same troubling conversation about education in America. Accelerate Institute believes school leaders who are properly trained—and believe that all students can and must succeed—have the power to transform under-resourced schools...and ultimately children’s lives.