Equitable Education: Howard Bell of Abl Schools

On average, 85% of high school students graduate within four years in the U.S. However, the average for white public high school students (89%) was 10% higher than the average for Black and Latino students (79%) in the 2017–18 school year.

In this episode, we speak with Howard Bell, the CEO of Abl Schools. Abl is an education software company that is aiming to improve education equity across districts. Abl focuses on understanding student access and enrollment in courses, and the distribution of teacher load, through a master schedule. Howard previously held leadership positions in the education sector, including at Hobsons, Study Group, Kaplan, and Scholastic.

"The key is to not let biases become unchecked in the educational process, because that's when systemic barriers come into play," says Howard. "We are here to help illustrate all the imbalances present in school systems, so that you can understand from an equity perspective which student groups are getting access to rigorous courses necessary for college eligibility."