National Education Opportunity Network Aims to Bridge the College Opportunity Gap for Low-Income Students
Image via HT
Education equity is emerging as the civil rights issue of the 21st century, according to Leslie Cornfeld, founder of the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON). After a decade advising former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Obama’s education secretaries, Cornfeld witnessed how talented low-income students were often overlooked by elite universities, regardless of their potential.
In 2019, with initial funding of $50,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Cornfeld launched the National Education Equity Lab, now NEON, to ensure that talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not. Drawing inspiration from research by economist Raj Chetty, which showed that selective colleges lacked socioeconomic diversity, NEON sought to bring college-level courses directly into high schools, particularly Title I schools.
Starting small, the Lab delivered Harvard College poetry classes to just a few dozen students while also providing teacher training, college mentors, and virtual support from professors. Over the past five years, NEON has expanded significantly, offering 60 college credit-bearing courses from 17 universities to over 40,000 students across 33 states, with an 80% course pass rate.
NEON’s goal is ambitious: to serve 1 million Title I high school students within the next decade, potentially surpassing the reach of Advanced Placement programs, which have struggled to deliver college credit to low-income students at scale.
Despite its impact, NEON remains a lean organization, with 32 full-time staff and $7.5 million in annual revenue in 2024. Support comes from foundations such as Carnegie, Gates, Apollo, NBA, and Morgan Stanley, as well as individual backers like venture capitalist Henry McCance.
Cornfeld emphasizes that NEON’s model differs from traditional programs. “We are bringing colleges into the schools and changing the culture. This isn’t about standardized testing — it’s about providing access, mentorship, and real college experience,” she said.
Principals and superintendents report that NEON courses are closing gaps in college readiness and financial accessibility. Celeste Pico, principal of Lompoc High School in California, shared, “We knew it was in the best interest of our students. Increasingly, NEON learners enter college having completed one year of university-level courses.”
Students themselves are seeing transformative results. Marah Rigaud, a first-generation Haitian American attending Yale, said, “These courses give you a foundation. You don’t feel left behind or think college is impossible.”
Research led by Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins confirms the program’s success: students who pass NEON courses are twice as likely to attend four-year colleges compared to peers from similar high schools, and they persist at higher rates once enrolled.
With more than 35 new school districts requesting to join NEON, Cornfeld believes the network’s reach will continue to grow. Henry McCance notes that while the program’s vision is ambitious, the main hurdle remains capital to scale further.
NEON’s work represents a new model in education philanthropy, combining targeted interventions, high-quality college coursework, and mentorship to create pathways to success for underserved students.
Final Thoughts by TheTrendingPeople.com
NEON’s approach demonstrates that education equity is achievable through innovative, small-scale interventions. By connecting elite universities with high schools serving under-resourced students, NEON is transforming college access, mentorship, and long-term success, proving that targeted efforts can overcome systemic barriers and create lasting impact.