Westat to Support Southern Education Foundation in Managing Regional Equity Assistance Center

The U.S. Department of Education has selected the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) to receive an $8.4 million grant over 5 years to manage the Equity Assistance Center (EAC) for the Southern region of the United States. Westat is the key partner to SEF for this grant. Together, the organizations will provide technical assistance and training to the region’s school systems, helping them use research-based strategies and tools to identify and address disparities in education. “We are proud to work alongside such a respected and effective leader in fighting for educational opportunities for students in the South,” notes Allison Crean Davis, Westat Vice President for Education Studies. “We look forward to contributing our expertise and experience to help SEF achieve the important goals the Department of Education has set for the Equity Assistance Center.”

There are four Equity Assistance Centers throughout the country, each charged with assisting K-12 school districts, state education agencies, and others within their regions to resolve disparities and challenges in educational achievement and opportunity. EAC-South will support 11 states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia—and the District of Columbia.