JET Statement on the Recent Supreme Court Decisions

Last week’s US Supreme Court decisions have cast a long shadow over achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion in our democratic society.

Affirmative Action Denial

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn 40 years of Affirmative Action in Higher Education was not unexpected. Nevertheless, it does not lessen its impact on future college applicants, the higher education community and beyond. It ripples out to our schools, students, educators, and families and challenges us to keep moving forward in our work to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in Massachusetts. 

JET stands with those who see this decision as a set back to achieve racial equity in all sectors of our society – but most crucially in education wherein lies the greatest opportunity to level the playing field racially, ethnically, and socio-economically. 

JET is committed to upholding its mission to diversify the teacher workforce as we continue to partner with highly diverse urban school districts, where racial disparities between students and educators are greatest, so that they can build their community teacher pipelines by tapping their highly diverse and experienced paraeducators to become the diverse, long-term educators needed in their communities.

Student Loan Forgiveness Denial

Once again, this decision affects the most vulnerable students economically, those least able to afford their higher education without onerous student loans and those with lower college completion rates leading to loan repayment default and the vicious cycle of getting out of debt.

That is why JET works so hard to help its participants access the state Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation grant which will cover most, if not all, of their undergraduate course expenses leading to their bachelor’s degree.  We want them to graduate debt-free to the extent possible so they can focus on their professional careers.  

Our preK-12 students in diverse communities need to see themselves reflected in their teachers and educators in order to be successful and thrive. Moreover, all students benefit from a diverse teacher workforce.

JET will continue to advocate for educator diversity and a more equitable education system. We will keep doing our work and work even harder to reduce the burdens of these two decisions.