Page:Executive Order 14050.pdf/1

 Executive Order 14050 of October 19, 2021

White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Educational opportunity is a fundamental element of the American promise. The United States Supreme Court recognized in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education that education “is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” In the decades since, our Nation has made progress in advancing equality and fairness in our schools, and the achievements, talents, and tenacity of Black students, educators, families, and scholars make our Nation’s schools and communities stronger for all Americans. Black students are thriving in schools across the country, inside the classroom—as valedictorians and award-winning scientists—and outside of it, including in debate, athletics, student government, and national spelling bees, among many other areas.

Over the course of America’s history, Black Americans have helped to build, strengthen, and lead our Nation towards becoming a more perfect Union. Although for far too long, Black Americans were denied even the most basic access to education, the vital contributions of Black Americans in the fields of science, academia, business, and public service, among others, are a testament to the resilience of Black Americans and the steps our Nation has taken to expand access to education and opportunity.

In spite of this progress, entrenched disparities continue to plague America’s education system, holding far too many Black students back from achieving their full potential. Because of persistent racial and systemic injustices in our Nation, Black students remain more likely to attend high-poverty and racially segregated schools than White students. Black students are inequitably disciplined and suspended from school at disproportionately higher rates than White students for similar offenses. In addition, Black students too often face limited access to advanced and college-preparatory courses. Systemic racial disparities in education negatively impact learning outcomes for Black students and many face persistent gaps in reading and mathematics achievement. Studies show that school districts with high concentrations of Black students are much more likely to be underfunded than districts where a majority of students are White, and face much wider funding gaps, with an average deficit of more than $5,000 per student. Black students are still below the national average for educational attainment in high school, and that gap is even higher for college attainment rates, as 26 percent of Black Americans ages 25 and older have attained a bachelor’s degree, while the national average is 36 percent. Black students also face unique challenges at the intersection of race and gender. Barriers to equity in education can compound for Black students who are also LGBTQ+ students, English-language learners, Dreamers, or students with disabilities.

These disparities result in long-standing college and postsecondary educational attainment gaps that affect life outcomes and access to opportunities. Although student populations are becoming increasingly diverse, Black teachers remain significantly underrepresented in our Nation’s classrooms. Educational inequities have only widened throughout the COVID–19 pandemic, as Black students are more likely to experience remote learning challenges and greater learning loss as compared to their White peers. The persistent