#CiteNite is finally here! Our first discussion will explore the connection between education accountability and segregation. Join us virtually on May 22 from 7:30-8:30pm ET. See "staff updates" below for more details. | |
POLICY UPDATE: RECAP OF LEGAL CHALLENGES TO SPECIALIZED MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS POLICIES | |
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As we await the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on two cases involving race-conscious admissions policies at colleges and universities, we wanted to provide a recap of legal challenges to middle and high school admissions policies that are making their way through federal courts. A recent law journal article by Sonja Starr helps explain why challenges like these are important to follow.
Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence Corp. v. School Committee (1st Circuit) challenges Boston Public Schools’ use of a new admissions plan for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. The plan involves a multiple round assignment process including the use of zip codes to rank students after the first round. We joined an amicus brief with the ACLU Foundation, ACLU of Massachusetts, and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in this case.
Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board (4th Circuit) challenges changes in Fairfax County School Board’s admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, including elimination of an entrance exam and inclusion of student experience factors. We joined an amicus brief with the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, ACLU Foundation, ACLU Foundation of Virginia, Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights, and Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in this case. See also the amicus brief filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sargent et al v. School District of Philadelphia (3rd Circuit) challenges preferences given to students residing in underrepresented zip codes when applying for special admissions high schools. The case is mentioned in a recent article "Evading a Race-Conscious Constitution" by NCSD member Cara McClellan. Read more about this challenge in Philly parents take new selective admissions policy to court (Chalkbeat Philadelphia, April 28, 2022).
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Photo courtesy of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | |
RECENT DEP'T OF ED FUNDING NOTICES |
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American History and Civics Education—National Activities Program: "The purpose of the AHC–NA program is to promote new and existing evidence-based strategies to encourage innovative American history, civics and government, and geography instruction, learning strategies, and professional development activities and programs for teachers, principals, or other school leaders, particularly such instruction, strategies, activities, and programs that benefit students from low-income backgrounds and other underserved populations." Application Deadline: July 12, 2023
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American History and Civics Education—Presidential and Congressional Academies for American History and Civics: "The Academies Program supports the establishment of (1) Presidential Academies for the Teaching of American History and Civics that offer workshops for both veteran and new teachers to strengthen their knowledge of American history, civics, and government education (Presidential Academies); and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics that provide high school students opportunities to enrich their understanding of these subjects (Congressional Academies)." Application Deadline: July 12, 2023
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NCSD STAFF UPDATES
What We've Been Up to Recently
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#CiteNite: A Quasi-Book Club for Education Practitioners, Researchers, and Advocates
Our first event will draw from NCSD's recent research brief, "Accountability Systems and the Persistence of School Segregation: Research Evidence and Future Directions." Hear from authors James Noonan (Salem State University) and Peter Piazza (School Diversity Notebook), as well as experts Raquel Muñiz (Boston College) and David Martínez (University of South Carolina) on the topic of assessment and accountability as we explore the implications of the brief.
#CiteNite has been in the works for a long time, and is a collaboration with SD Notebook. It's designed to be a quarterly discussion about research that can help guide and connect the school integration movement.
If you're a researcher or practitioner with an idea for a future #CiteNite topic, please email us!
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NCSD Presents at Magnet Schools of America Conference
On April 22, NCSD director Gina Chirichigno co-led a workshop with Valerie Sterne at Magnet Schools of America's annual national conference in Dallas, TX. The session, "Assessment Tool for Schools Working Towards Equity," provided an overview of Valerie's interdistrict assessment tool, which she created last summer as an NCSD education policy fellow. Gina shared information about NCSD's work and the context that led to the tool's creation. Valerie is a Ph.D. candidate in education policy at UT Austin and has authored publications about segregation in Texas (including this one).
If you're interested in learning more about the tool, please feel free to email Valerie at valeriesterne@utexas.edu.
Related, the deadline to apply for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant competition for fiscal year 2023 is May 15. Check out our magnet schools resource page for more info.
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NCSD Awarded AIR Grant for "Integration and Equity 2.0" Project
NCSD recently received a rapid-cycle project grant from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Equity Initiative to conduct a series of research projects and communications activities to promote evidence-based school integration policy development and implementation. NCSD's project is entitled "Leveraging Title II of ESSA and Redressing the Post-Brown Decimation of the Black Educator Workforce in the South to Support School Integration and Educator Diversity."
The AIR Equity Initiative is advancing equity by funding new or under-resourced efforts to generate and use evidence that improve educational experiences, enhance justice in public safety and policing, and strengthen economic mobility for underserved communities.
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SAVE THE DATE: What Can the Federal Government Do to Support School Integration?
On May 16 from 12:00-1:00pm ET, the eve of the 69th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, NCSD will co-host an event with The Century Foundation’s Bridges Collaborative to discuss the future of federal support for school integration.
Diverse learning environments help students in elementary, secondary, and higher education sharpen their critical thinking and analytical skills, prepare all students to succeed in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, break down stereotypes and reduce bias, and enable schools to fulfill their role in opening doors for students of all backgrounds. Come learn about the federal interest to support school integration and the budget proposals to match that interest. (Note: Live CART and ASL interpretation will be provided.)
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Next month marks the 69th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court school desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and we asked our members for Brown-related events and resources to uplift. Here's a round-up of recent and upcoming activities from our members.
TO ATTEND:
Event May 11: In Solidarity for Integration
In recognition of the 69th anniversary of Brown, join the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, New York Appleseed, and NYC Coalition for Educational Justice on May 11 from 5:00-7:00pm ET for an interactive community discussion on the history of school segregation, how it persists and affects NYC public schools, and how multiracial solidarity remains vital to making public schools culturally responsive, inclusive, and truly integrated for all students.
Event May 17: Between the Lines Performance
In recognition of the 69th anniversary of Brown, join New York Appleseed and NYU Metro Center on May 17 from 6:00-8:00pm ET for an engaging student performance of Epic Theater Ensemble's original play, Between the Lines (which was commissioned by NCSD and the Poverty and Race Research Action Council).The performance will be followed by a discussion with the performers exploring past and present housing policies and their connection to school segregation. Help spread the word!
TO LISTEN:
UCLA's Our Children Can't Wait Podcast | School & Community Segregation: The Policy Issue of Our Time
Why is integration important for all American students? What sorts of policies can facilitate greater integration in schools? NCSD members Jennifer Ayscue and Erica Frankenberg discuss with host Joe Bishop. With segregation on the rise in the United States, Southern natives Jennifer and Erica compare the history of desegregation with the inequities between schools with segregated student bodies today. Their experiences of growing up in the South led them to research how they can change the current conditions and promote integrated schools.
IDRA's Classnotes Podcast | The Law in Education – Brown v. Board of Ed
In this episode, IDRA’s chief legal analyst Paige Duggins-Clay and IDRA’s national director of policy, advocacy, and community engagement Morgan Craven take a look at the Brown ruling, perhaps the most influential case in the course of public education in this country. They give a picture of the landscape before the ruling, describe the plaintiffs and attorneys, and discuss the ruling’s impact.
TO READ:
Deny, Defund, Divert: The Law and American Miseducation
Lawmakers seeking to entrench racial inequality in and through public education do so by enacting laws designed to deny Black children access to education, defund public schools disproportionately attended by Black children, and divert many white children and Black educators away from the public education system. This new article by NCSD member Janel George draws a through-line between laws enacted to prevent desegregation in the aftermath of the Brown ruling, an era known as massive resistance, and recently introduced laws that seek to exclude the nation’s history of racial inequality and its enduring effects from curriculum.
America Needs Diverse Teachers More Than Ever
Excerpt from a recent commentary by Jayla Hart, PK-12 education policy intern at The Century Foundation: "As America’s public school students become increasingly diverse, the stark racial homogeneity of the educator workforce hinders both students and faculty’s ability to connect across differences and reap the benefits of learning in diverse, integrated settings. Prior to desegregation, well-respected and highly qualified Black educators empowered their students and local communities through fierce leadership and a devout commitment to excellence. After the Brown decision, however, the Black educator workforce was decimated by the closure of all-Black schools, as well as by racially discriminatory firings and demotions."
Protecting Education as a Civil Right: Remedying Racial Discrimination and Ensuring a High-Quality Education
Education has long stood at the epicenter of the battle for civil rights. More than half a century after the U.S. Supreme Court declared racially segregated schools unlawful in Brown, educational opportunity and achievement gaps based on race, national origin, class, and neighborhood have endured. This Learning Policy Institute report by Kimberly Jenkins Robinson explores two critical questions: First, how do existing federal and state laws and policies protect, or fail to protect, education as a civil right? Second, how can federal and state laws and policies be reformed to protect education as a civil right?
The Past, Present, and Future of Brown’s Mandate: A View from North Carolina
NCSD members Roslyn Mickelson and Jennifer Ayscue et al reflect upon the relevant history of progress in Brown’s implementation and the current retrenchments on those gains that have returned this nation’s schools, in some districts, to pre-Brown levels of segregation. Using the state of North Carolina as a strategic case study, the authors speculate about the sets of social forces that may either discourage or encourage realization of Brown’s mandate. In doing so, they note population changes, national and local political factors, and other events that will either make it more or less likely that Brown’s mandate will be realized by 2054.
The Segregation Index: Racial Economic Segregation among U.S. Public Schools, 1991-2020
This working paper by Heewon Jang describes trends in racial economic segregation over the last three decades and decomposes these trends into different geographic scales (e.g., between-state, between-district, and within-district segregation). Racial economic segregation has decreased since the late 1990s, yet Black students are still considerably isolated in schools with higher poverty rates. Findings from the present study suggest the imperativeness of inter-district policy remedies while also highlighting intra-district policy needs for promoting student diversity across schools in the district. See also this complimentary research brief.
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Update:
- Apply by May 5 for Beloved Community's Summer Youth Research Academy, a 3-week paid online summer program for high school students (ages 14-18) to conceptualize, design, carry out, and analyze a research question of personal importance. Priority is given to youth who attend schools in New Orleans, Memphis, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C. Youth will receive a stipend of $900 for their valuable work as summer researchers.
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Update:
- Read this recent Bridges Collaborative member spotlight on Urban Strategies, Inc, an organization which has been working for decades to advance integration in high-poverty schools and the neighborhoods they serve.
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Update:
- Check out IDRA's new Tik Tok account, aimed at engaging young advocates with videos on education issues and tips for leading advocacy work, including how to testify.
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Update:
- Tune in to the latest Integrated Schools podcast episode, “The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers,” featuring Casey Stockstill. It explores the importance of inclusive, diverse preschools; race and class dynamics for early learners; and the impacts segregation has on future learning environments.
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Update:
- Check out the latest special issue of PRRAC's Poverty & Race journal on racial capitalism, tenant power, and social housing. Guest edited by Jamila Michener, the issue includes powerful articles from John Whitlow, Prentiss Dantzler, Akira Drake Rodriguez, Cea Weaver, Tara Raghuveer, John Washington, and Peter Dreier.
- See also this tweet (viral by our standards!), where Tara Raghuveer shares thoughts about why "housing is the infrastructure of racial capitalism."
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RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL (RAP) UPDATES
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Casey Cobb is among the recipients of UConn's first-ever JEDI—justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion—seed funding to support interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative work. Casey is named co-principal investigator on a project entitled "Reimagining School Safety—in Connecticut and Beyond."
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Linda Tropp was interviewed by UMass Magazine about her research related to segregation and social division, and what we can do to cultivate more intergroup contact. "Through crossing group boundaries, intentionally or not, I became even more interested in how group memberships shape our relationships with others and our perceptions of the world."
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Roslyn Arlin Mickelson is one of 18 education leaders and scholars elected as members of the National Academy of Education for valuable contributions to education research and policy development.
Learn more about our Research Advisory Panel here.
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INDIVIDUAL MEMBER UPDATES
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Kevin Welner co-edited a new book The School Voucher Illusion: Exposing the Pretense of Equity, which examines the long-standing campaign that resulted in today’s school voucher policies. Experts offer recommendations for modifying current policies with the goal of capturing more of the originally stated vision of voucher programs — equitable access to quality schooling, protection of all students’ civil rights, and advancement of the wider societal goals of a democratic educational system.
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- A new joint report from NEPC and the Beyond Test Scores Project entitled "Educational Accountability 3.0: Beyond ESSA" seeks to outline what a more effective and equitable approach to assessment of student learning and accountability for schools and districts might look like. Drawing together roughly two dozen leading scholars, it sets forth a policy agenda for the next reauthorization of ESEA.
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The Color of Law explained how our segregated and unequal society was created by racially explicit and unconstitutional policies at all levels of government. As a follow-up to that book, father-daughter duo Richard and Leah Rothstein co-authored a new book entitled Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. The authors describe what citizens and residents can do in their own communities to redress the inequality and deprivation that are ongoing effects of government-imposed segregation. Just Action will be released on June 1 and is available for preorder.
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Call for papers: The special series of the Metropolitics journal will focus on efforts for Black political and economic power in the contemporary period, including educational initiatives and schools. If you have any questions, please email James DeFilippis at jdefilip@rutgers.edu or Akira Drake at akirad@upenn.edu. Submissions are due May 1, 2023.
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Call for papers: Early Childhood Research Quarterly journal released a call for papers on equitable access to early care and education (ECE). This special issue aims to advance the knowledge base on policy solutions and practices that improve equitable access to affordable and high-quality ECE from both the family and provider perspectives. Manuscripts are due June 1, 2023.
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NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR COUNTRY | |
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National -
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Reviving America’s Pipeline Of Black Teachers (Forbes, April 11) - "Research clearly shows that Black students do better in school when they have teachers who reflect their racial identity and experiences...Having a diverse array of teachers also benefits all students by countering racism and negative stereotypes, promoting intercultural understanding, and preparing children of all backgrounds to live in an increasingly diverse and complex world."
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Who’s Afraid of Integration? A Lot of People, Actually. (New York Times, April 5) - "[P]olicymakers of good will face the enormous and perhaps insuperable task of restoring integration to center stage while somehow avoiding the political and logistical errors that characterized busing and affirmative action in the past."
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California -
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California attorney general issues guidance on how districts can close schools (EdSource, April 11) - "California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a guidance document Tuesday spelling out school districts’ legal obligations and best practices for closing, merging and consolidating schools...It explains how districts must follow new state laws under AB 1912, which requires school districts to engage the community and conduct an 'equity impact assessment' before closing schools. Under AB 1912, an Equity impact assessment analyzes the 'disparate harms' that a closure may cause and makes sure the closure is alleviating, not maintaining school segregation, according to the guidance."
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Connecticut -
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Fairfield elementary school is a model for inclusive education, Connecticut education chief said (WSHU, April 25) - "Connecticut’s education chief visited a Fairfield elementary school on Tuesday to highlight an example of how suburban school districts can better cater to a diverse student population...Fairfield and other suburban towns are under a state mandate to address the racial imbalance in the Connecticut public schools. There is a state grant program available to encourage school systems to work across district lines to reduce the racial, ethnic and economic isolation of students.
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Wilton to accept 5 Norwalk students in CT Open Choice program, despite about 100 opposition letters (CT Post, April 11) - "The Open Choice program, which was approved to begin in Danbury and Norwalk in the 2022-23 academic year, would allow students from these city schools to attend neighboring, suburban school districts. As part of the program, up to 50 students from Danbury and 50 students from Norwalk would have been able to attend the nearby schools.The goal of the program is to reduce overcrowding in large school districts while bringing students into schools where enrollment may be declining. Officials have said this helps suburban school districts to be more diverse, as well."
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Maryland -
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Baltimore County had a chance to spread diversity among schools. They missed it. (Baltimore Banner, April 10) - "For Carroll Manor parents, increasing school diversity was not a concern. For Baltimore County Public Schools, on the other hand, it was supposed to be. A system policy says reflecting the region’s diversity should be a primary consideration in changing school boundaries. But in the end, Carroll Manor parents got what they wanted, and the new school boundaries do nothing to spread socioeconomic diversity, essentially keeping the demographics unchanged."
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Letters: What school segregation looks like in Baltimore County today (Baltimore Banner, April 2) - "[I]t is disheartening to see members of our community going to such lengths to ensure that their children not be exposed to peers of a lower tax bracket. Furthermore, we should acknowledge that economic segregation in our country greatly overlaps with racial segregation and reckon with the question of whether our actions contribute to that."
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New York -
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‘This would be a closure’: Two Upper West Side middle schools fight merger as city panel vote looms (Chalkbeat, April 17) - "Two disparate small Upper West Side middle schools have found their fates intertwined as city officials seek to merge them, despite loud community protests.One is a progressive institution serving overwhelmingly Black and Latino students, where more than 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The other is known for its French dual language program and has a significantly higher share of white students. Just under 60% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Officials say the merger could help protect both schools, but to parents and staff at West Side Collaborative, the plan could mean a fatal loss of identity — as community members fear its leadership, approach to teaching, culture, and name could be washed away as it is absorbed into the larger school."
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North Carolina -
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‘Middle ring’ schools still struggle to retain diversity, identity (WFAE Charlotte, April 26) - "When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools rolled out its post-desegregation 'choice plan' almost 21 years ago, a lot of attention focused on the emergence of stratified urban and suburban schools...But there was another group of schools that didn’t fit either category, schools that some called the middle ring. At places like South Mecklenburg and East Mecklenburg high schools, racial and economic diversity prevailed. But it felt like a fragile balance at the time, and it remains so."
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| American Civil Liberties Union | | | Asian Americans Advancing Justice | | | Education Trust |
- Director of Policy, Early Childhood
- Senior/Policy Analyst (K-12)
- Senior Associate, National & State Partnerships
- Senior/Associate of Research
- View all EdTrust openings
| | Einhorn Collaborative | | | Hunt Institute |
- Deputy Director of Early Learning
- Deputy Director of State Engagement
- Policy Analyst - Early Learning
- Policy Analyst - K-12
- 2023 Spring and Summer Intern
- View all Hunt Institute openings
| | Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | | | Learning Policy Institute |
- Senior Performance Assessment Specialist
- Principal and Senior Researchers
- Research and Policy Intern
- View all LPI openings
| | Legal Defense Fund |
- Redressing Segregation Housing Community Engagement Specialist
- Redressing Segregation Counsel
- Director of Policy
- Deputy Director of Policy
- Thurgood Marshall Institute, Director
- Thurgood Marshall Institute Library and Research Associate
- View all LDF openings
| | Lumina Foundation | | | MALDEF |
| | New America |
- Communications Director - Education Policy Program
- Data Manager - Education Funding Equity Initiative
- Program Associate - Teaching, Learning, and Technology
- Senior Policy Analyst, Early Childhood Education
- Senior/Policy Analyst - Center on Education and Labor
- View all New America openings
| | Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation | | | Yale University | | | |
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Freedom to Learn National Day of Action
African American Policy Forum
"Join us for a National Day of Action on May 3, 2023 to defend the truth and to protect the freedom to learn. Now is the time to work to build a broad coalition of people to strengthen our democracy and our values of equity, inclusion and social justice. Through collective actions across the country, we will resist restrictions on the freedom to learn, fight the right’s anti-woke disinformation campaigns, and demonstrate majoritarian support for equity in our schools, campuses, and workplaces."
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ELC 50th Anniversary Celebration
Education Law Center
"Please join us as we commemorate our last five decades of progress promoting education equity and racial justice in New Jersey and other states across the country and set the stage for the next fifty years and beyond...featuring Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Professor Derek Black, AFT President Randi Weingarten, NEA Executive Director Kim Anderson, and Schott Foundation President & CEO Dr. John Jackson."
NCSD communications consultant Jenna Tomasello will be attending. Say hello if you attend!
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National Social and Emotional Learning Conference
Center for the Promotion of Social and Emotional Learning
"This conference is a unique opportunity to deepen your knowledge and practice for powerful social and emotional learning integration in inclusive and diverse environments to support student success."
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76th EWA National Seminar
Education Writers Association
"As part of this year’s theme, 'Looking Back, Moving Forward,' EWA will examine the history of civil rights in education, and we will look ahead. The event will also examine the continued aftermath of the pandemic on learning at all levels as well as other education issues making news. Leading researchers, policymakers and practitioners will share insights on these pressing issues, and experienced journalists will share tips and advice. Attendees will leave equipped to better cover the 2023-24 academic year and beyond."
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2023 Prioritizing Equity Conference: Past, Present, and Future
NYU Metro Center
"The 2023 Equity Conference aims to push the boundaries of what educational equity means, and for whom, and offer attendees with research, practices, strategies, and tools that can be shared with colleagues on how different education equity leaders can play a role in improving beliefs, policies, and practices in schools, districts, regions, and greater school-wide communities."
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Philadelphia, PA
June 7-9
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National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference
Institute for Educational Leadership
"This national conference brings together people from across the country who believe all children deserve a safe place to live and opportunities to learn and thrive. Inspired by our theme: Spreading Love & Supporting All Children, the conference is designed to catalyze collaboration, action, and a renewed commitment to transforming our practices, partnerships, and systems."
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Clinton, TN
June 26-30 and
July 10-14 (online)
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Centering Youth Agency in the Civil Rights Movement Summer Institute for Educators
Children’s Defense Fund and Florida A&M University
"This professional development program will serve 25 K-12 teachers of all subject areas and expose participants to new approaches to civil rights history that center the agency of young people. This program is based on innovative scholarship and the culturally relevant pedagogical traditions of Freedom Schools past and present."
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Minneapolis, MN
July 12-14
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National Forum on Education Policy
Education Commission of the States
"We are excited to bring together bright minds and powerful thought leaders to connect and collaborate on solutions and innovations that address the most pressing issues in state education policy."
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Buffalo, NY
July 21-23 (hybrid)
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6th Annual Teaching Black History Conference
University at Buffalo
"Each year, the conference convenes hundreds of teachers to learn the best curricular and instructional practices surrounding Black history education. We will have featured speakers and entertainment, but the stars of the conference are our teachers. Each conference session is led by a classroom teacher who shares their Black history strategies. The sessions are interactive, so participants will have hands-on experiences to bring to their classrooms...The 2023 conference theme is The Sounds of Blackness, Hip Hop Turns 50."
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Contact Us
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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