National Education Equity Lab Recognizes Students from Historically Under-Resourced High Schools for Top Performance in College Courses

National nonprofit's Spring 2023 Honor Society recognizes hundreds of high school students who have excelled in college credit-bearing courses from the nation's top universities

Wesleyan President, and Brown, Stanford, Spelman, Howard, ASU faculty honor top scholars from low-income communities across nation

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Educational Equity Lab (Ed Equity Lab), an education justice nonprofit that works to bridge the gap between high school and college for students from historically marginalized, low-income communities, today announced the inductees selected for its Spring 2023 Honor Society.

The scholars, who hail from 56 historically under-resourced school districts around the country, performed in the top 20 percent of all scholars nationwide taking dual-credit Ed Equity Lab courses from universities including: Howard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Wesleyan University, Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Cornell University, Brown University, Spelman College, Barnard College at Columbia University, and Arizona State University. This semester featured new courses including Spelman's "The Education of Black Girls," an international relations course from Georgetown, and the University of Pennsylvania's groundbreaking Grit Lab course taught by Dr. Angela Duckworth.

"Every semester, hundreds of scholars in Ed Equity Lab courses across the country prove that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Their success in professor-led courses from the top colleges in the United States is a testament to the fact that learners from all backgrounds have what it takes to succeed in higher education and beyond," said Leslie Cornfeld, Founder and CEO of the National Education Equity Lab. "We're grateful for the collaboration of our high school and university partners, and honored to recognize these students for their brilliance, determination, and enthusiasm for learning."

Scholars in this year's Honor Society will be recognized in a ceremony today, Wednesday, August 23, featuring scholars and their families, university professors, high school teachers, district leaders, members of the National Education Equity Lab board, and Founder and CEO Leslie Cornfeld. For more information or to RSVP to attend the ceremony, contact Laura Moore at [email protected].

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, an Ed Equity Lab board member, called this effort "game changing" for students, saying, "Democratizing access to higher education in our nation has never been more critical. Efforts like this help us do just that."

The National Education Equity Lab is an education justice nonprofit that aims to democratize access to college by partnering with top colleges and universities to offer actual college credit-bearing courses in teacher-led Title 1 high school classrooms across the country. Participating students gain the opportunity to take actual college courses from top professors, with weekly live discussions led by university teaching fellows, co-taught by teachers at their high schools. Scholars earn widely transferable college credits and a transcript from the offering institution upon successful completion. Starting in 2019 with a single Harvard humanities course in 25 high schools, the Lab has now served nearly 15,000 students in 134 cities across 30 states, and aims to offer this opportunity in all eligible underserved high schools in the nation.  

"Working with the Equity Lab to broaden the opportunities and access to HBCUs for our students has been a monumental step in a much needed direction," said Dawn Wylke, Principal of Lockport City High School in New York. "We look forward to future collaborations!"

"Our unique collaboration speaks to our shared passion and commitment to creating opportunities for students who would not otherwise have them," said Cortney Richardson, CEO of Peer Power Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. "We believe in the students of Memphis, and we know that they can compete on whatever stage they have access to."

We congratulate the following districts and high schools across the nation for having the highest-performing high-school-in-college scholars in the nation, who are recognized as National Education Equity Lab Honor Society Scholars for top performance in the nation in college courses from selective universities:

• New York City Dept. of Education scholars recognized from 46 high schools;
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools scholars from 19 high schools;
• Los Angeles Unified School District scholars from 7 high schools;
• Newark Public Schools scholars from 4 high schools

Arizona

• American Charter Schools Foundation
  • Desert Hills High School, Principal Miller
  • South Pointe High School, Principal McGill
• Phoenix Union High School District
  • Maryvale High School, Principal Doherty

California

• Birmingham Community Charter High School
  • Birmingham Community Charter High School, Principal Bennett
• Compton Unified School District
  • Compton Early College High School, Principal Maddox
• Inglewood Unified School District
  • City Honors International Prep School, Principal Araya
  • Inglewood High School, Principal Tate
  • Morningside High School, Principal Cain
• KIPP San Jose
  • KIPP San Jose, Principal Võ
• Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Huntington Park Senior High School, Principal Garibaldi
  • Marquez High School of Social Studies, Principal Boswell
  • San Pedro Senior High School, Principal Aubele
  • Santee Education Complex, Principal Ruiz
  • Thomas Jefferson High School, Principal Johnson
  • Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences, Principal Hanock
  • Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, Principal Verbera
• Lynwood Unified School District
  • Lynwood High School, Principal Gonzalez
• Visalia Unified School District
  • Mount Whitney High School, Principal Aguilar

Colorado

• Colorado Springs School District 11
  • Odyssey Early College Career Options, Principal Miller
• Denver Public Schools
  • Bruce Randolph School, Principal Valdez
  • Montbello High School, Principal Lynch
  • North High School, Principal Echevarria

Connecticut

• Amistad Academy District
  • Achievement First Amistad High School, Principal Obas
• Manchester School District
  • Manchester High School, Principal Miner
• Waterbury Public Schools
  • Virtual Academy @ Waterbury Public Schools, Principal Eckler

Florida

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
  • American Senior High School, Principal Papp
  • Booker T Washington High School, Principal Lawrence
  • Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School, Principal Ramirez
  • Homestead Senior High School, Principal Louis
  • Miami Central Senior High School, Principal Sands
  • Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Principal Weiner
  • Miami Jackson Senior High School, Principal Turner
  • Miami Norland Senior High School, Principal Gaines-Miller
  • Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Principal Tate-Wyche
  • Miami Senior High School, Principal Valdes
  • Miami Southridge Senior High, Principal Miret
  • Miami Springs Senior High, Principal Gonzalez
  • Miami Sunset Senior High School, Principal Lux
  • North Miami Beach Senior High School, Principal Milliken
  • North Miami Senior High School, Principal Stewart
  • South Dade Senior High School, Principal De Armas
  • South Miami Senior High School, Principal Penton
  • Southwest Miami Senior High School, Principal Bulnes
  • Westland Hialeah Senior High School, Principal Handal
• Orange County Public Schools
  • Colonial High School, Principal Reussow
  • Oak Ridge High School, Principal Alvarado
• River City Science Academy
  • River City Science Academy, Principal Kuvatov
• SEED Miami
  • The SEED School of Miami, Principal Locke

Georgia 

• Henry County Schools
  • McDonough High School, Principal Blasingame
  • Stockbridge High School, Principal Thornton
  • Woodland High School, Principal Jackson

Hawaii

• Hawaii Department of Education
  • Waipahu High School, Principal Sheets

Illinois

• Chicago Public Schools
  • Legal Prep, Principal Finklestein
  • Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men - Englewood, Principal Mahone
• Thornton Fractional District 215
  • Thornton Fractional North High School, Principal Rucinski
  • Thornton Fractional South High School, Principal Gourley

Indiana

• Indianapolis Public Schools
  • Crispus Attucks High School, Principal Franklin

Kansas

• Topeka Public Schools
  • Topeka High School, Principal Dick
  • Topeka West High School, Principal Buckendorff

Louisiana

• Collegiate Academies
  • Abramson Sci Academy, Principal McElligott
  • George Washington Carver High School, Principal Bryant
• St. Landry Parish School Board
  • Opelousas Senior High School, Principal Clark

Massachusetts

• Springfield Public Schools
  • Duggan Academy, Principal Snow

Michigan

• Pontiac City School District
  • International Technology Academy, Asst. Principal Sturgis

Minnesota

• St. Paul Public School District
  • Open World Learning Community, Principal Gundale

Mississippi

• Jackson Public School District
  • Jim Hill High School, Principal Brown

New Jersey

• Jersey City Public Schools
  • Infinity Institute, Principal Dobson
  • Liberty High School, Principal Grazilla
  • McNair Academic High School, Principal Macagnano
• KIPP Newark
  • KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy, Principal Lewis
  • KIPP Newark Lab High School, Principal Burroughs
• Newark Public Schools
  • Arts High School, Principal De Nose
  • Central High School, Principal Mitchell
  • Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology, Principal Sumney
  • University High School, Principal Flournoy
• Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology
  • Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, Principal Coskun
• Uncommon Schools Newark
  • North Star Academy Charter School, Principal Mann

New Mexico

• Albuquerque Public Schools
  • South Valley Academy, Principal Perea

New York

• Brentwood Union Free School District
  • Brentwood High School, Principal Dulin
• Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School
  • Coney Island Prep High School, Asst. Principal Behan
• KIPP NYC
  • KIPP NYC College Prep High School, Principal Samuels
• Lockport City School District
  • Lockport High School, Principal Wylke
• New Visions for Public Schools
  • New Visions Charter High School For The Humanities IV, Principal Kehn
• New York City Department of Education
  • 07X427 Community School for Social Justice, Principal Runco
  • A-Tech High School, Principal Harris
  • Academy For Conservation and the Environment, Principal Mazzola
  • Academy for Young Writers, Principal Brown
  • All City Leadership Secondary School (32K554), Principal Rivera
  • Boys And Girls High School, Principal Harrison
  • Bronx High School of Business, Principal Bajana Vega
  • Bronx International High School, Principal Vega Vargas
  • Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice, Principal Hernandez
  • Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance (BAGF), Principal Darbee
  • Brooklyn Collegiate: A College Board School, Principal Newman
  • Brooklyn Lab High School, Principal Henry
  • Crotona International High School, Principal Ratra
  • Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences, Principal Alexis
  • DeWitt Clinton HS, Principal Orbe
  • Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School, Principal Meconi
  • Flushing International High School, Principal Hesseltine
  • Frank McCourt High School, Principal Salzberg
  • Frederick Douglass Academy II, Principal Owusu Afriyie
  • Frederick Douglass Academy III Secondary School, Principal Carlos
  • Gotham Professional Arts Academy, Principal Michelin
  • Grover Cleveland High School, Principal Pascente
  • High School for Arts and Technology, Principal Garzaniti
  • High School for Service & Learning, Principal Farkas
  • High School for Teaching and the Professions, Principal Hernandez
  • Information Technology High School, Principal Woods-Powell
  • Long Island City High School, Principal Selenikas
  • Manhattan Village Academy, Principal White
  • Martin van Buren High School, Principal Nettleford
  • Mathematics, Science Research and Technology High School, Principal Thompson-Young
  • Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies, Principal Field Dennis
  • Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School, Principal Dubei
  • M.S. 223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, Principal Downs
  • Origins High School, Principal Kammerman
  • Pan American International High School, Principal Velez
  • Pathways College Preparatory School, Principal Haseley
  • Richmond Hill High School, Principal Ganesh
  • Rockaway Collegiate High School, Principal Ali
  • Science Skills Center High School, Principal McGregor
  • South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School 07X221, Principal Flanagan
  • The College Academy, Principal Sigerson
  • The Facing History School, Principal Panagot
  • Urban Assembly of Music and Art, Principal Vural
  • Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management (UASEM), Principal Bility
  • The Young Women's Leadership School of Queens, Principal Panday
  • Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, Principal Rochowicz
• Sewanhaka Central High School District
  • Elmont Memorial High School, Principal Dougherty
• South Bronx Community Charter High School
  • South Bronx Community Charter High School, Principal Clemente
• The Charter High School for Law and Social Justice
  • The Charter High School for Law and Social Justice, Principal Burke

North Carolina

• Lincoln Charter School
  • Lincoln Charter School-Lincolnton Campus, Principal Kelly

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia City School District
  • George Washington High School, Principal Thompson
  • Olney High School, Principal Roth

Rhode Island

• Highlander
  • Highlander Secondary Charter School, Principal Pabst

South Carolina

• Charleston County School District
  • Burke High School, Principal Swinton

Tennessee

• Peer Power Foundation
  • Peer Power Foundation, Dr. Marygrace Hemme

Texas

• El Paso Independent School District
  • Bowie High School, Principal Gandarilla
  • Irvin High School, Principal Stives
• KIPP Texas
  • KIPP East End High School, Principal Carias

Washington, DC

• Capital City Public Charter School
  • Capital City Public Charter School, Principal Reaves
• Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools
  • Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools - Parkside High School Campus, Principal Van Pelt
• District of Columbia Public Schools
  • H.D. Woodson High School, Principal Massey
• Friendship Public Charter Schools
  • Friendship Collegiate Academy, Principal Jones

SOURCE The National Education Equity Lab