Crises have a way of revealing who we really are, and that’s as true for nations as it is for people. If we don’t fix critical education, job training, and racial equity challenges during this pandemic recovery, we’ll miss an historic opportunity.

With vaccinations finally available a year after the health crisis began, we’re looking ahead to another phase—what could be a complex, winding road to economic recovery. We must seize the moment to vastly improve our coordination of education, workforce, and economic development policies, leading with equity at core of our efforts.

For bus drivers, supermarket cashiers, personal care aides, and other essential workers, the pandemic has unleashed a torrent of setbacks. 

Half of households in the country earning below $35,000 a year reported falling behind on rent, and a quarter reported not having enough food, according to census data. That vexing situation has been inflicted on domestic workers, a large but often invisible workforce of mostly Black and Hispanic women who left their own families in the pandemic to care for others.

During his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made several promises to close equity gaps and make education more attainable for all students.

One of the most immediate ways Cardona can accomplish his goals is to focus on Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students—and to make sure that implementation occurs as promptly as possible before the 2023 deadline, writes Nick Turner of the Vera Institute of Justice in this opinion piece.