Rachel M. Perera
Rachel M. Perera is a Fellow in the Governance Studies program for the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. Her research examines how racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities develop in K-12 education and the consequences of policies designed to reduce inequality.
“There’s a lot of pressure on schools right now...Schools also say they don’t have the resources to address more behavioral problems, and I worry that that will translate to schools falling back on old practices that are not effective in terms of supporting students in the way they need.”
“It’s positive that they’re making those connections for people,” said Rachel M. Perera, a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy who has studied civil rights enforcement in school discipline. “But something that seems to be missing is more practical guidance on what that means. OK, if a school district has these types of disparities, how do you go about reducing them? How do you actually address that?”
![School in Tuscaloosa City and County is back in session. The new Northport Intermediate School opened its doors for the first time to students Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.Students arriving by bus walk down a covered entryway. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]First Day Of School Northport Intermediate](https://i0.wp.com/www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-08-12T135126Z_1833381351_MT1USATODAY16552687_RTRMADP_3_SCHOOL-IN-TUSCALOOSA-CITY-AND-COUNTY-IS-BACK-IN-SESSION-THE.jpg?w=234&crop=0%2C11px%2C100%2C134px&ssl=1)