NCSD Update: August 2020

AUGUST 2020 UPDATES

Kindly consider a donation to NCSD this month, to help us sustain our advocacy efforts.

How might states and LEAs use CARES Act flexibility to address systemic educational inequities and bring students together? Some initial thoughts in our new brief from Philip Tegeler and Jessica Mugler of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC).

Quick takeaways:

Even in trying times, equity and integration in schools should be prioritized.
The CARES Act provides flexibility for states and school districts to spend relief money to reduce systemic inequities and further school integration.
Remote learning offers opportunities to share resources across districts and to expose students to the benefits of diversity.

NCSD MEMBER PERSPECTIVES:

SCHOOL REOPENINGS AND CARES ACT

Tracking State School Aid Cuts in the Pandemic by Mary McKillip (Eduction Law Center, Aug. 25) "As the pandemic unfolds, ELC’s research shows that states are following the same budget cutting strategy as they did in the Great Recession. States are failing to build a firewall to shield K-12 public education from devastating aid cuts. They are also not distributing federal emergency funds 'progressively,' that is, allocating more of those funds to districts with the greatest need.'"

Judge Says Betsy DeVos Used ‘Manufactured Ambiguity’ to Push Aid to Private Schools by Matt Barnum (Chalkbeat, Aug. 25): "'[CARES Act] funding can be equitable even if it is not equal, which is certainly the case when Congress chooses to concentrate funding on those in the most need,' wrote [Judge] Rothstein, who pointed out that private schools will receive aid under either approach."
NCSD member Derek Black is quoted in this article: “It will have enormous sway elsewhere no matter what. Schools in other states will look to whatever law is available elsewhere if there is none in their state. So being first to the trough is crucial.”
See a related press release and brief from Intercultural Development Resource Association, as well as their policy brief, Ensuring Education Equity During and After COVID-19.

Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond (Learning Policy Institute, Aug. 25) and Supporting a Restorative Opening of U.S. Schools by Jennifer DePaoli, Lauren E. Hernandez, and Linda Darling-Hammond (Learning Policy Institute, Aug. 5)

METCO Faces New Challenges Amid Mass. School Reopening Debate (via NBC100 Boston): 'Every district we work with is really examining the challenges of what are the needs of every family, and when there's a technology need, when there's a space need, when there's socio-emotional-support needs, the districts are finding ways to serve those families, whether they live in the district or whether they live in Boston,' said Colin Stokes of the organization.""
Additionally, METCO is planning a series of convenings this fall to build the organizing capacity of both Boston and suburban parents, and to provide content knowledge and change management practices within the leadership of the suburban school districts.

Podcast: Reopening Schools and Equity (Integrated Schools, Aug. 5)

Related stories:

Could Coronavirus and America’s Racial Reckoning Lead to More Diverse Top-Tier High Schools in Philadelphia? by Dale Mezzacappa (Chalkbeat, Aug. 18)

Opinion: Is Your Child’s School Ready to Reopen? by Yaryna Serkez and Stuart A. Thompson (New York Times, Aug. 14)

Why We Must Center Antiracism, Humanity, and Equity When Returning to School by Michelle Burris (The Century Foundation, Aug. 12)

As Distance Learning Pushes Parents Into Pods, Some Look for Ways to Make the Model More Inclusive by Linda Jacobson (The 74, Aug. 10)

3 WAYS TO PLUG IN THIS MONTH

#1:JOIN THE FIELD IN DISCUSSING SEN. KAMALA HARRIS'S ADDITION TO THE DEM PRES. TICKET

Education Week discuss how Senator Kamala Harris's addition to the Democratic Presidential ticket could affect federal efforts for greater educational equity and school integration. Additionally, The 74 does a deep-dive into Senator Harris's evolving thinking on how to handle K-12 truancy.

Also check out other perspectives and tweets from: Jonathan E. Collins, the LA School Report, and Courtney Martin.

Flashback (July 2019): "Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) described busing as a tool to be considered for school desegregation" via HuffPost.

#2:CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS TO CO-SPONSOR NEW EDU. EQUITY BILL

Booker, Castro Introduce Bill Aimed at Increasing the Enrollment of Underrepresented Students in Advanced Courses and Programs: "Under the Advanced Coursework Equity Act, eligible states and school districts could receive up to $60 million in grants to do things like expand enrollment in advanced courses, cover the costs of exam fees for low-income students and train and hire teachers to teach advanced courses."

Call or write your legislators in the House and Senate.

#3: JOIN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT #NICEWHITEPARENTS

The New York Times "Nice White Parents" podcast has put educational equity in the zeitgeist.

Check out some of these perspectives -

"Nice White Parents," "Fiasco," and America's Public-Schooling by Sarah Larson (New Yorker, Aug. 31)

You Can't Get Rid of Nice White Parents by Nicholas Quah (Vulture, Aug. 21)

How White Progressives Undermine School Integration by Eliza Shapiro (New York Times, Aug. 21)

I Listened To The Podcast ‘Nice White Parents’ And Found Out I Am One (Scary Mommy, Aug. 18)

Nice White Parents (Integrated Schools, July 31)

#NiceWhiteParents

MEMBER UPDATES

METCO Featured in New YA Fiction

With 54 years of history, METCO has appeared in only a handful of non-fiction books, and as the primary subject of one major one (The Other Boston Busing Story by Susan Eaton).

Now, the first young adult novel portraying the experience of participating in METCO has just been released.

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon is described by Kirkus Reviews as "a thought-provoking tale about navigating race and immigration issues." The book tells the story of Latina high school student Liliana, who commutes from Boston to the fictional town of Westburg and explores her multiple identities.

Read more about the book via Teen Vogue.

New publication:

Racial Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area, Part 5: Remedies, Solutions, and Targets by Sean Menendian, Samir Ghambhir, and Arthur Gailes

New publication:

State Support for Local School Construction: Leveraging Equity and Diversity by Lauren Mittman, Nikhil De, and Philip Tegeler

New publication:

Inequity in Pennsylvania School District Reopening Decisions: How Districts’ Mode of Delivery Varies by Region and Student/Community Characteristics by Katharine Dulaney & Erica Frankenberg

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Coverage:

Students Say NYC’s Public School Admissions Process Is Flawed. Here’s What They’d Do Instead by Emily Nonko (Next City, Aug. 27): “There is no whole-blanket solution for segregation,” [Leanne] Nunes explains. “We’ve worked to shape a model that best fits the community we’re trying to implement policies in. We don’t believe in having something done to us, we want to have a say in how it’s done and why it’s done.”

Learn more about NCSD membership, and apply, here.

NEWS FROM

ACROSS OUR

COUNTRY

NCSD Makes Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs's #OneAction To Take List:

NCSD was named as one of several educational justice organizations (including Integrated Schools and IntegrateNYC, among others) that people can support in Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs's How Learning Pods Can be More Equitable in Romper on Aug. 18. She writes: "Small, individual acts won’t solve racism in this country but action is needed to start to tackle harmful and problematic systems and it can begin with you in your home, your community, your kid’s school, and your workplace."

Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs urges readers take #OneAction to help chip away at racism: "Find a local non-profit that works on education justice and commit some time every week moving forward to following their lead and showing up for them in ways that are needed."

Two NCSD Research Advisory Members Make The Reading List Behind ‘Nice White Parents’ by Chana Joffe-Walt (New York Times, July 30).

Massachusetts: “Safety and Security” in Boston Schools: A History of Police and Repression - Part 1 and Part 2 by Matt Kautz (The School Diversity Notebook, Aug. 25) - "By looking at the historical development of police in Boston’s schools in the latter half of the twentieth century, we can see what led to the police occupation of schools. Indeed, Boston’s history illuminates how the racialization of crime and disorder in schools led to a punitive school system that disproportionately suspends and arrests Black students."

South Carolina: Massive Greenville Mural Tells the Story of Desegregation and a Pioneering Educator by Eric Connor (The Post and Courier - Greenville, Aug. 27) - "In the years leading up to school desegregation in Greenville County in 1970, Harris served as the only Black teacher at Crestone Elementary — a school that, aside from one Black student, was segregated."

Wisconsin: Report: Metro Milwaukee's Black Students Are The Most Hypersegregated In The Nation by Emily Files (WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee's NPR, Aug. 13) - "New research on Black-white disparities in metropolitan Milwaukee draws a sobering conclusion about education: Black students here attend the most racially segregated schools in the nation."

COMMUNITY OF THOUGHT & ACTION

The Impact of Middle School Integration Efforts on Segregation in Two New York City Districts: "Two broad conclusions emerge from this study. First, integration is possible. The results in District 15 show that a carefully designed and implemented integration plan can lead to a significant reduction in segregation, at least in the short term. Second, the details matter." Read the report from MarGrady Research.

The Public Good has created a free unit for teachers: "Coming Together Through Stories" is meant to help teachers learn to better help students cope with the social and emotional aspects of this current moment. Learn more here.

CROSS-MOVEMENT RESOURCE LIST

Ignore the Rankings: Why the Best School for Your Kid Is Probably the One in Your Neighborhood by Sandy Smith (Philadelphia, Aug. 29)

Gary B., Espinoza, and the Fight for School Funding by Robert Kim (Phi Delta Kappan, Aug. 25)

A Co-op for Black and Multiracial Families ‘De-Schools’ Children. by Dani McClain (New York Times, Aug. 18)

Opinion: Black Families Don't Need 'Fixing.' They Need Better School Financing by Andre Perry (Education Week, Aug. 26)

Podcast: Keep Your Friends Closer by Code Switch (NPR, Aug. 19)

Practical Advice on Addressing Racial Justice in K-12 Schools: A Q&A with Gloria Ladson-Billings (National Education Policy Center, Aug. 13)

So, You Want to Run for School Board. First Ask Yourself If You Believe in the Genius of Black Children and You Are Willing to Fight to See It Realized by Terry Nguyen (The 74, Aug. 4)

How 'Good White People' Derail Racial Progress by John Blake (CNN, Aug. 2)

Student Activists Want Change — and They’re Starting in the Classroom by Terry Nguyen (Vox, July 29)

'Let Us Help You Lead': Marley Dias On Why Young People Must Be Included In the Fight For Racial Justice by Marly Dias (Elle, July 21)

HOUSING-SCHOOLS NEXUS

Increasingly federal fair housing laws and mandates are being threatened by the federal government. Recently that has taken the form of an attempt to rollback the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) mandate. Here we highlight some of the perspectives shared about the importance of the housing-schools nexus in terms furthering racial equity.

Podcast: Trump Attacks Fair Housing: What Does the End of AFFH Spell for Integration? (Othering & Belonging Institute, Aug. 5)

Why Schools Should Care about Housing Voucher Discrimination (Urban Institute, Aug. 12). Also check out the Urban Institute's new data tool that explores how much individual schools across the country contribute to segregation within districts.

Housing Will Test White Support for Black Lives by Noah Y. Kim (Boston Globe, Aug. 21): "It's one thing to rally against racism. But will white people finally make it feasible for many more minorities to move into their neighborhoods?"

Opinion: Black Lives Matter by Richard Rothstein (New York Times, Aug. 14): "Winning the civil rights victories of the past required unusual dedication and persistence — extraordinary, really — and it will take more of the same to make Black lives matter in every neighborhood."

Suburban Segregation: A Tale of Two Rezonings by Dian Mawene (School Diversity Notebook, Aug. 11): "Despite the inevitable increase of diversity in race and class in Wells, long-term residents of the city have insisted on maintaining a long-standing aspect of the core identity of suburbia: homogeneity."

Race and Schools Are at the Core of Trump's 'Suburban Lifestyle Dream' by Andrew Ujifusa (Education Week, Aug. 10): "'Trump did not mention education directly in those comments about 'suburban housewives' and the suburbs...But they also serve to highlight how 'school policy is housing policy, and vice versa,' said Peter Piazza, a researcher at the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment who supports school integration efforts."

Hearing from Low-Wage Working Mothers: How a Housing Program in Ohio Connects Children to Better Schools by Richard D. Kahlenberg (The Century Foundation, Aug. 4): "The evidence suggests it was not lack of ambition that kept these families out of high-opportunity suburbs; it was barriers, imposed by government, that artificially limited affordable housing opportunities."