“We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else.”

Barack Obama

Now that we’ve gotten a few weeks of this new (and very different!) school year under our collective belts, we wanted to take this opportunity to talk more about our mission here at Navigate STL Schools, which includes building equitable education in St. Louis.

The Importance Of Choosing A School

You might be familiar with us because of the school search tools on our website – and that’s great! Choosing a school is an extremely important decision for each family, and especially here in St. Louis, sifting through the ever-increasing array of school options is a daunting task. The emergence of magnet schools, followed in a couple of decades by charter schools, means that parents have much information to digest in order to decide which school their children will attend. The tools we provide are designed not just to help families access vital school information easier and faster, but also to increase the equity of access to information for all families.

Equity Of Access To Increase Equitable Education

Equity of access is important as it pertains to our larger aim to increase equitable education in St. Louis and the surrounding regions. By making it easier for families to compare schools, Navigate STL Schools helps to give a boost to those families who are unfairly disadvantaged due to limited time and resources. Pre-existing equity gaps such as gaps in access to technology and the internet, gaps in access to food and to safe living environments, and gaps in access to quality child care have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, and are likely to have far-reaching impacts.

According to the Department of Education, traditionally underserved students, including minorities and low-income students, attend and complete college at far lower rates than their peers. These students are suspended, expelled, and drop out at higher rates, and are less likely to have access to strong teachers and challenging curricula. Additionally, these long-term results are likely to be exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19.

Today, the resources and access to the information we provide are more vital than ever. Navigate STL Schools is proud to be a part of the strides being made in building equitable education in St. Louis and to work alongside many other great organizations that strive for a similar outcome. We want nothing more than to ensure that each child in St. Louis has access to the school that helps him or her thrive!