TNTP Reacts to Supreme Court Rulings On Affirmative Action and Student Loan Forgiveness

Following the Supreme Court rulings that ended affirmative action in college admissions and barred the current administration from proceeding with its student loan forgiveness program, TNTP released statements across its social media channels. In addition, TNTP CEO Tequilla Brownie, Ed.D., shared her reflections in a blog post titled, “Educational Justice After Affirmative Action.”

On Affirmative Action:

The Supreme Court’s decision today to end affirmative action in college admissions reverses over 40 years of legal precedent, removing an important tool in the fight to increase educational equity for students of color.

The results will be devastating for generations of kids. We’ll see an immediate decline in the number of students of color on college campuses and fewer graduates of color hired into careers that lead to economic and social mobility. The damage to talent pipelines will widen the already significant racial wealth gap while posing significant risk to the long-term health of our nation’s economy.

For the past 25 years, TNTP has been dedicated to eliminating structural barriers to the opportunities that education provides. We cannot express our opposition to this decision strongly enough. It is an attack on the very principles that have shaped the modern fabric of society, sending us backwards in time at the expense of justice for all children.

On Student Loan Forgiveness:

College is too expensive. For years, the cost of higher education has risen much faster than inflation, yet post-secondary degrees are required to enter many professions, especially those with the most potential to provide students with economic and social mobility.

The Supreme Court’s actions to strike down proposed student debt relief may have devastating effects on college enrollment, effectively discouraging millions of young people from pursuing advanced degrees. The result will be to further increase income inequality, while simultaneously signaling that higher education is only for the wealthy and privileged. In combination with the Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions, we foresee an alarming shift in the demographics of college graduates.

This decision is not only distressing for students and their families, it is detrimental for our country.

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Media Contact:

Kathryn Zielony

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Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, stands in front of her students while introducing them to the captivating world of science

Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, introduces her students to the captivating world of science.

About TNTP

TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.

Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.

Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.

Learn More About TNTP