Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Education Dive, Amelia Harper reports that thirty-seven New York City schools have found success when implementing mastery-based education models to bridge the racial equity gaps. 

· How can other schools adopt similar methods to address the education equity gap? How can donors support efforts to address the equity gap in schools? 

· Read about finding solutions to equity in education through policy changes. 

Mastery-based education is catching on in many schools across the nation because it is a more personalized approach to learning that allows students to master concepts at their own pace. For schools wanting to address equity issues in a diverse setting, the model also allows students to have more control over their learning since they are essentially competing with themselves rather than with other students who may have academic advantages not available to them.

While mastery-based learning has a broad appeal because of its individualized approach, the main concern for most students, parents and educators has been the method of assessing knowledge. Most states and school districts are set up to measure student success by some type of achievement tests, even though these tests often don’t accurately reflect student knowledge, don’t account for diversity, and don’t allow students to learn from the experience. Mastery-based learning takes a more personal approach to assessments, though these assessment methods may vary.

Read the full article about using mastery-based education to bridge the equity gaps by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.