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Agenda details available
here. A flyer to share with friends and colleagues
here.
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Civil Rights Community Responses to the
Department of Education's Regulatory Review
Members of the civil rights community responded this month to the Department of Education's "Evaluation of Existing Regulations" Federal Register notice. The
notice
stemmed from Executive Order 13777, signed by President Trump on
February 24, 2017, and solicited
public input on the evaluation of Department of Education regulations and guidance, seeking specific suggestions regarding what
regulations
and
guidance
the Department should consider altering, replacing, or eliminating.
Many civil rights organizations submitted strong, clear comments to the Department regarding the regulatory review, urging the preservation of civil rights protections for all our nation's students. The following letters are a sample of the more than 16,000 comments the Department received.
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NCSD Conference Social Media
With the #NCSD2017 national conference less than a month away, we encourage our members and friends to follow NCSD accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and publicize the conference from your own social media platforms using the hashtag #CelebrateSchoolDiversity.
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In a vote on September 8th, the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina system established the rule that the UNC Center for Civil Rights
can no longer engage in active litigation. The UNC Center for Civil Rights was founded in 2001, and since that time has actively advocated on behalf of North Carolina's most vulnerable
citizens free of charge. The Center has brought lawsuits on behalf of North Carolina citizens involving discrimination in education, employment and housing. The UNC Center for Civil Rights receives no state money and is supported entirely by private donations.
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Writing for Teaching Tolerance,
Hasan Kwame Jeffries examines both historical and modern day segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, and highlights lessons for today's integration advocates. When the National Guard was originally sent to Central High School in 1957 they did not assist the Little Rock Nine in entering the school, instead of quelling the white mob the National Guard acted as an additional barrier to the students. Federal intervention was eventually necessary to integrate Central High School, and thanks to community efforts it remains an integrated environment today.
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Color of Law Book Tour Continues
Richard Rothstein continues his tour for the new book Color of Law, an impressive work of research and writing that e
xplodes the myth that America's cities came to be racially divided as the result of individual prejudices, personal choices to live in same-race neighborhoods, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Instead,
The Color of Law
uncovers a forgotten history of how racially explicit policies of federal, state, and local governments created the patterns of residential segregation that persist to this day. See tour destinations and dates below.
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The Century Foundation Facilitates Conversations on Diverse Charters
Earlier this month The Century Foundation held panel discussions in both New York City and Washington, DC, regarding the role of charter schools in creating a more integrated, equitable school system. Click the links below for more.
New York City
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NCSD members are heavily featured in a new education documentary called Teach Us All,
now available on Netflix
. Members represented in the film include IntegrateNYC, New York Appleseed, and the Civil Rights Project/
Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA as well as Research Advisory Panel member Pedro Noguera. The film also includes reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York City Councilmen Brad Lander and Ritchie Torres, and New York City principal Jill Bloomberg.
While there is much to appreciate in the film,
unfortunately
we feel that
Teach Us All
at times
presents a storyline that places blame for systemic inequalities on public school educators - a position that few of those interviewed for the film would endorse. In doing so, the film underwrites a narrative that government institutions, unions, and feckless teachers are exclusively responsible for segregation and inequality. We wish the film had instead forced viewers to confront the myriad ways in which we --the public--have neglected to commit to dismantling white supremacy and fostering an integrated society.
We do recommend watching this film - but at all times with a critical eye.
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Earlier this month, following mandatory community engagement, the majority of states (except those affected by recent extreme weather) submitted their final Every Student Succeeds Act plans to the U.S. Department of Education.
Under ESSA, states have significant flexibility to tailor accountability systems and interventions for struggling schools. Some states, such as New York, used this flexibility to propose policies that focus on supporting local integration efforts.
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The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the 32 winners of the 2017 Magnet Schools Assistance Program grants, which will send $91.7 million to 16 states. The Magnet Schools Assistance Program funds supports themed magnet schools, and aims to assist in the desegregation of public schools by supporting the elimination, reduction, and prevention of minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools with substantial numbers of minority group students.
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Upcoming Events of Interest
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National Coalition on School Diversity
c/o Poverty and Race Research Action Council
Mailing Address: 740 15th St. NW #300 Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-544-5066
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