In their landmark 2011 volume, Whither Opportunity?, co-published by the Russell Sage Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, Greg J. Duncan and Richard J. Murnane traced the contours of deepening educational inequality in the U.S. Now, in their recent follow-up volume, Restoring Opportunity, the authors present a thoroughly researched and hopeful education agenda. Co-published by Harvard Education Press and the Russell Sage Foundation, Restoring Opportunity provides extensive information about how to improve schools so that students from poor families can boost their learning and increase their chances of going to college or attaining vocational skills.

A March 19 event at the Brookings Institution (funded by the Russell Sage and Spencer Foundations) will feature presentations by Duncan and Murnane that highlight school-based interventions conducted at some scale that have been shown, in high-quality evaluations, to improve educational outcomes for low-income children. The presentations will feature brief videos describing two of these successful initiatives, a preschool program involving 70 schools, and a high school initiative involving 200 schools. The videos bring to life a central message of the book, namely, that effective schooling for low-income children requires the combination of consistently strong school supports and sensible accountability. Duncan and Murnane’s presentations will be followed by comments from a panel of education experts and policymakers. After moderated discussion among all the speakers, questions will be taken from the audience.

The event will be live webcast. Join the conversation on Twitter at #opportunity.

Visit the Brookings Institution site to register for the event or view more details.