Southern Education Foundation

08/27/2026

Leadership transformation starts with understanding the systems we inherit and the future we hope to create.

Last week, we welcomed the 2026 Promise Network cohort for its first in-person convening.

Throughout the three-day session, fellows reflected on the experiences that shape their leadership, examined the historical foundations of public education in the South, explored systems thinking tools, and began identifying the district challenges they will investigate throughout the fellowship. Along the way, they built relationships grounded in trust, curiosity, and a shared commitment to expanding educational opportunity.

The Promise Network Fellowship is designed to equip district leaders with the knowledge, tools, and community needed to lead lasting, systems-level change. We are honored to support this remarkable cohort as they begin the journey ahead.

Learn more about the Promise Network: https://southerneducation.org/what-we-do/leadership-development/thepromisenetwork/

08/26/2026

Giving is about more than making a donation. It's about investing in the future we want to build together.

As we celebrate Black Philanthropy Month, we invite you to join us next week for Give 8/28, the national day of giving that honors the enduring legacy of generosity and community leadership across the African diaspora.

For nearly 160 years, the Southern Education Foundation has worked alongside educators, researchers, policymakers, and communities to expand educational opportunity across the South. Your support helps us continue advancing research, developing leaders, informing policy, and strengthening the partnerships that create lasting change for students.

Mark your calendar for Friday, August 28 and join us in investing in educational opportunity.

Donate: https://southerneducation.org/take-action/onlinegiving/

YOUR GIFT MATTERS! Make a one-time gift or recurring monthly donation to support the work of the Southern Education Foundation.

08/25/2026

Educational opportunity begins long before a child enters a classroom.

The Southern Education Foundation is expanding its work to strengthen infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) and maternal mental health (MMH) across the South through a new grant from the Perigee Fund.

Building on the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network, this initiative will help strengthen Southern states' capacity to support young children and families through:

✔️Policy leadership
✔️Technical assistance
✔️Professional learning
✔️Cross-state collaboration

Research continues to show that the earliest years of life lay the foundation for lifelong learning, health, and well-being. By strengthening support for children, families, and caregivers, we can help more children enter school healthy, supported, and ready to thrive.

This grant builds on SEF's growing early childhood portfolio and our commitment to advancing evidence-based policies and partnerships that expand educational opportunity across the South.

Read more: https://southerneducation.org/in-the-news/sef-expands-regional-efforts-to-strengthen-infant-early-childhood-and-maternal-mental-health/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Southern Education Foundation Expands Regional Efforts to Strengthen Infant, Early Childhood, and Maternal Mental Health Perigee Fund grant expands SEF’s regional work to strengthen support for young children, families, and communities. ATLANTA, GA. (August 20, 2026) — The ...

08/21/2026

There are only a few days left to vote for SXSW EDU 2027 panel proposals.

This year, SEF leadership and staff are featured across five proposed SXSW EDU sessions, bringing research, policy, and practice together to explore some of the most important issues shaping the future of education.

Your vote can help elevate these conversations and bring SEF's expertise to one of the nation's leading education conferences.

If you have not voted yet, now is the time.

Cast your vote here: https://southerneducation.org/in-the-news/vote-to-bring-sef-to-the-2027-sxsw-edu-stage/

Thank you for helping amplify these important conversations.

08/20/2026

Forty education and civil rights organizations joined the Southern Education Foundation in urging the U.S. Department of Education to preserve the Equity Assistance Center Program regulations.

As the home of the Southern Center for Opportunity and Access (SCOA), formerly the Equity Assistance Center-South, SEF understands the critical role Equity Assistance Centers play in helping states, school districts, and schools address school desegregation, comply with federal civil rights law, and strengthen educational opportunity.

The coalition's letter emphasizes that the need for this work has not diminished. Today, approximately 128 school districts in the South remain under federal desegregation orders, while millions of students continue to attend racially isolated schools. Preserving the Equity Assistance Center Program means preserving trusted, evidence-based support that helps school systems proactively meet their civil rights responsibilities and better serve students.

We are grateful to stand alongside organizations across the country in calling for the preservation of this vital program.

Read the letter: https://southerneducation.org/legislative-issues-in-the-south/40-civil-rights-and-education-organizations-join-sef-opposing-the-u-s-department-of-educations-proposal-to-fully-rescind-the-equity-assistance-center-regulation/

08/19/2026

What happens when proposed federal rules make it harder to carry out work Congress specifically authorized?

That question is at the heart of the Southern Education Foundation's recent public comment to the Office of Management and Budget.

As the home of the Southern Center for Opportunity and Access (SCOA), formerly the Equity Assistance Center-South, SEF is concerned that the proposed rule could unintentionally limit federally authorized efforts to help school districts address segregation, comply with federal civil rights law, and expand educational opportunity.

Our recommendation is clear: OMB should withdraw the proposed rule or explicitly protect the programs and technical assistance Congress authorized under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act.

The implications extend beyond one program. They affect how schools and districts receive the support they need to meet their legal responsibilities and serve students.

📖 Read our full public comment: https://southerneducation.org/legislative-issues-in-the-south/federal-financial-assistance/

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08/14/2026

Voting is open for SXSW EDU 2027 PanelPicker!

This year, SEF leadership, staff, and partners are featured across five proposed SXSW EDU sessions, bringing research, policy, and practice together to explore some of the most pressing issues shaping the future of education.

The proposed sessions include conversations on:
• Education and economic vitality
• School segregation across the P-16 continuum
• Early learning and regional collaboration
• Outcomes based contracting and investing in what works

Your vote can help bring these important conversations—and perspectives from across the South—to one of education's leading national conferences.

Voting is open through August 23. Explore all five sessions and cast your vote:
https://southerneducation.org/in-the-news/vote-to-bring-sef-to-the-2027-sxsw-edu-stage/

Thank you for supporting SEF and helping elevate these critical conversations.

SXSW EDU

08/14/2026

The evidence is growing and so is the momentum.

A new independent evaluation from WestEd found that outcomes based contracting can improve student outcomes, strengthen collaboration between school districts and education partners, and help districts build stronger systems over time.

At the same time, Michigan has become the latest state to incorporate outcomes based contracting into its education funding strategy for high-impact tutoring, joining a growing number of states investing in approaches that connect funding with meaningful results for students.

Together, these developments point to an important shift: education leaders are looking beyond services delivered and asking a more important question—are students benefiting?

Through its Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, the Southern Education Foundation works with states, districts, and education partners to build evidence-based approaches that strengthen implementation, improve accountability, and deliver better outcomes for students.

Learn why more states are embracing outcomes based contracting and explore the latest research.

Read the report: https://connect.obc.southerneducation.org/westedresource

08/14/2026

“The call continues; the work is not yet finished.”

We recently joined 40 organizations in a letter calling for the preservation of the Equity Assistance Center Program and submitted formal public comments urging the U.S. Department of Education to maintain this critical support for schools and districts.

For SEF, this work is part of a much longer commitment to protecting civil rights and advancing educational opportunity.

After reading our public comments, civil rights attorney and scholar Ted Shaw reflected on that connection. Shaw, who spent decades working on education and desegregation issues with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, described SEF’s comments as being “in the best tradition of the work that has been done for decades” to pursue the promise of Brown v. Board of Education.

He reflected on the SEF leaders who helped build that tradition, including Jean Fairfax and Lynn Walker Huntley, and shared a message that speaks directly to the work before us today:

“I salute your continued commitment to educational opportunity for all, especially in this time. The call continues; the work is not yet finished.”

We are grateful for his words and for the many organizations and leaders standing together to protect the resources schools need to uphold students’ civil rights and expand access to a quality education.

Read SEF’s public comments: https://southerneducation.org/legislative-issues-in-the-south/sef-submits-a-public-comment-urging-u-s-department-of-education-to-preserve-equity-assistance-center-program/

08/13/2026

Students should not have to get used to this.

Black mold. Broken elevators. Aging residence halls.

When students encounter unsafe or deteriorating living conditions, the issue extends far beyond deferred maintenance. It reflects decades of unequal investment in institutions that have opened doors of opportunity for generations of students.

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution article explores the challenges facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the long-standing funding disparities that continue to shape the student experience. SEF's Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Fred Jones Jr., provides historical and policy context, explaining why these inequities persist and what it will take to address them.

Strengthening HBCUs is about more than repairing buildings. It is about ensuring students have access to learning environments that support their success and expanding educational opportunity for future generations.

Read the story: https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/08/how-funding-altered-the-hbcu-experience/

Unequal investment has left many HBCUs struggling to maintain aging campuses, where mold, failing HVAC systems and broken elevators are part of everyday student life.