This month, we launched our movement milestones campaign on Twitter, which aims to build awareness about the breadth of the school integration movement's history, diversity, and influence on the larger struggle for civil and human rights.
For Black History Month, we highlighted three under-recognized civil and human rights trailblazers whose work and thinking was essential to building the foundation of the modern school integration movement: Pauli Murray, Louis Redding, and Horace Tate.
Watch out for Women's History Month content in March!
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION |
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EQUITY ASSISTANCE CENTERS
The Department of Education (ED) issued a notice inviting applications for FY 2022 for the Equity Assistance Centers. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Equity Assistance Centers (EACs) provide assistance in the areas of race, gender, national origin, and religion to public school districts to promote equal educational opportunities.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2022
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 15, 2022
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MAGNET SCHOOLS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM |
The Department also issued a notice inviting applications for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP). MSAP funds the development of magnet schools with special curricula that are capable of attracting diverse groups of students. Projects must be designed to provide innovative educational practices, increased choices for families, equitable access for all students to academic knowledge and skills, and reduced levels of isolation among minority groups within schools, among other features. ED expects to award 35-40 grants of up to $15 million over a five year period.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 25, 2022
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 7, 2022
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NCSD STAFF UPDATES
What We've Been Up To Recently
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"While the Civil Rights Data Collection provides crucial data on discriminatory policies, practices, and resource disparities, it has strayed from one of its original purposes, to monitor and support the implementation of holistic school desegregation plans."
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NCSD Suggests Improvements to the Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)
Nearly 40 organizations and individuals joined us in calling for improvements to CRDC's ability “to monitor and support the implementation of holistic school desegregation plans.”
Improving federal civil rights data collection would support desegregation efforts, increase accountability in school districts under desegregation orders, reduce legal uncertainty for those districts, and assist research into school integration. This has been a long-term goal of NCSD, as mentioned in our 2019 policy agenda, etc. |
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WATCHFUL EYE: CHALLENGES TO SCHOOL INTEGRATION IN VIRGINIA |
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COALITION FOR TJ V. FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
As described recently in the New York Times, the most well-known of these cases challenge admissions changes at the competitive Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, VA. The case claims that non-race-based criteria (such as reducing reliance on test scores) intended to achieve greater racial diversity in the student body are subject to strict scrutiny under the 14th Amendment, because of a foreseeable reduction in the percentage of students in one or more racial/ethnic groups (in this case, Asian-American students).
Last week, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia agreed with the plaintiffs, finding that the Fairfax County School Board acted with discriminatory intent in its efforts to increase the representation of Black and Latino students at Thomas Jefferson.
The decision is very troubling since the school district was following the Supreme Court's 2007 majority opinion from the Parents Involved case in its efforts to increase racial diversity at the school (for example, allocating a significant number of seats to the highest-ranking students at each feeder middle school in the region and eliminating test scores as the deciding factor in awarding seats to the remaining applicants).
REGRESSIVE LEGISLATION PROPOSED
Reactions:
NCSD member organization NAACP LDF joined Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the Virginia NAACP, Hamkae Center, Asian American LEAD (AALEAD), CASA Virginia, Hispanic Federation, and the TJ Alumni for Racial Justice to release a statement in reaction to the recent developments in the case (excerpt below):
“Contrary to binding precedent, today’s erroneous decision by the Court uses the Equal Protection clause to cement pre-existing inequalities and hinder school districts from removing unfair barriers to opportunity for many Black, Latinx, and underserved Asian American students in direct conflict with the very purpose of the Equal Protection Clause. Such measures are not anti-Asian, and, in fact, benefit Asian American students. Indeed, all students benefit from a system that promotes fair opportunities for all. The court’s decision will harm underprivileged students of color. It also essentially stymies school districts from addressing known problems of equal educational access with race-neutral efforts. As racial justice advocates, we will continue to support race-neutral policies that better ensure equal educational opportunities consistent with the Equal Protection Clause.”
We will be watching these developments closely.
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"Georgia will always have scars. I truly believe if we want to learn and grow to be Georgians, better Americans, we must show those scars and allow them to heal and learn from that history."
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New podcast episode:
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On a recent episode of the ACLU’s podcast “At Liberty,” Somil Trivedi, senior staff attorney for ACLU’s Criminal Law Project, and Emerson Sykes, staff attorney for ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, discuss efforts across the country to ban books and undermine inclusive curricula.
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New podcast episode:
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The co-hosts of the Integrated Schools podcast talk with Dr. Susan C. Faircloth, an enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe and professor of education at Colorado State University. She has spent her career working on Native issues, and brings a wealth of historical knowledge, as well as family history that brings to light the challenges facing Native people, especially students, today.
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Update:
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New from OBI: A Structural Racism Remedies Repository, compiling “over 1,000 policy recommendations in many areas where structural racism is most prevalent, including policing, criminal justice, housing, transportation, voting rights, education, and many others.”
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New Coverage:
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When Working for Racial Justice Means Taking Black History Month Off by Emma Goldberg (New York Times, Feb. 12): “Starting last year, [Rhonda Broussard] has insisted her staff [at Beloved Community] take February as a paid month off. As Beloved has been inundated with work, Ms. Broussard has been focused on giving her own team the time to rest.”
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New Publications:
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New open-access journal article - A Critical Analysis of Racial Disparities in ECE Subsidy Funding: “Using a critical policy analysis framework, we explored the extent to which Pennsylvania’s tiered funding policy, which awards greater funding to [early care and education] providers with higher quality evaluation scores, differentially benefits children and communities along racial lines. We found that the average Black and Latinx children’s ECE providers received substantially less tiered funding than the average White child’s provider.”
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RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL UPDATES
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Erica Frankenberg also co-authored an op-ed (DEI in Schools: New Acronym, Same Intent) with Francesa Lopez and Kevin Kinser in the Centre Daily Times: “While DEI as a term may be new, our nation’s commitment to equity in schools is not. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires recipients of federal funding — like public schools and universities — to ensure there is no discrimination and equitable access to educational opportunity.”
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NCSD RAP member John Diamond (who recently joined the faculty in Brown University's Department of Sociology) was selected, along with 18 other outstanding scholars, as an AERA Fellow for 2022: "The AERA Fellows Program honors education researchers for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research." Read more here.
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NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR COUNTRY |
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New Jersey Legislators Advance Bill to Create a Division of School Desegregation within the NJ DOE
NJ Lawmakers Push Bills to Study Reparations, School Desegregation by Tennyson Donyéa (WHYY, Feb. 7) - "The Senate Education Committee on [Feb. 3] narrowly approved a bill that would create a Division of School Desegregation within the state Department of Education. The purpose of the division would be to identify instances in which students are functionally, though not legally, segregated along racial and socioeconomic lines, and 'to ensure better integration and a more diverse enrollment in public schools,' according to the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union)."
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When: Sunday, March 20 at 1:30 pm
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Where: Mount Zion Baptist Church, 353 S New Rd, Pleasantville, NJ 08232
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Purpose: "Here in New Jersey, we have tolerated levels of racial and economic segregation in our schools not seen since the days of Jim Crow in the South. Sunday, March 20th, is the 57th anniversary of the start of Dr. King’s historic march from Selma to Montgomery to confront Alabama’s segregationist governor. It also marks the one-year anniversary of the historic march from Pleasantville to Absecon demanding Governor Phil Murphy stop school district secessions and end racial segregation in our schools." Learn more here.
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National -
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Teachers of Color Are Linked to Social-Emotional, Academic Gains for All Students by Madeline Will (Education Week, Feb. 8) - "Ultimately, the study reinforces the need for districts to recruit and retain teachers of color,' [said David Blazar, the study’s author and an assistant professor of education policy and economics at the University of Maryland]. He added that these findings also add some nuance to the heated national debate over 'critical race theory,' as state legislators introduce bills seeking to limit discussion of race in the classroom and community members push to ban books about race and social identity...'White students are benefitting from what is happening here, from having teachers of color, from culturally responsive teaching,' Blazar said. 'This doesn’t need to be a them or us discussion.'"
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Variation in the Local Segregation of Latino Children—Role of Place, Poverty, and Culture by Bruce Fuller, Shruti Bathia, Margaret Bridges, Yoonjeon Kim, Claudia Galindo, & Francisco Lagos (American Journal of Education, Feb. 2022) - "Rising Latino enrollment in once lily-white schools does advance racial integration. But many Latino children enter increasingly segregated school districts in which poor students are isolated from middle-class peers. In the absence of interdistrict integration efforts, little progress to integrate Latino children will be possible."
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Is Your State Prioritizing Teacher Diversity & Equity (Education Trust, Feb. 2022) - Using the tool from Education Trust you can "learn about promising educator diversity policy practices across the country, review each state’s educator diversity data and policy profile, and see how your state rates against other state profiles."
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Georgia -
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A Wealthy Enclave Seeks Split from Atlanta, and Parents Take Sides Over their Schools’ Future by Linda Jacobson (The 74, Feb. 8) - “'Residential secession movements, typically driven by wealthier white communities, are almost always bad for education,' said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank. If Buckhead is allowed to secede, 'concentrations of poverty will increase in Atlanta, making students left behind worse off. The tax base necessary to support Atlanta public schools will suffer.'”
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The Difference Ketanji Brown Jackson May Make on the Conservative-Dominated Supreme Court by Joan Biskupic (CNN, Feb. 25) - "'As it happens,' Jackson said, 'I share a birthday with the first Black woman ever to be appointed as a federal judge. The Honorable Constance Baker Motley. We were born exactly 49 years to the day apart. Today I proudly stand on Judge Motley's shoulders, sharing not only her birthday, but also for a steadfast and courageous commitment to equal justice under law.' President Lyndon Johnson appointed Motley to a federal district court seat in 1966. She died in 2005."
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As a Former Cop, I Know We Need Police-Free Schools by Evan Douglas (Education Week, Feb. 11) - Devoting more resources toward mental health and counseling services will lead us to an educational space free of criminalization. Let’s continue this momentum and do what is best for the youth. Let’s save our children from the pepper spray, the body slams, and the tasers. Let’s keep police out of schools.
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Howard University, Center for Journalism & Democracy |
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Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) |
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New Venture Fund (Communities for Just Schools Fund Director of Movement Partnerships) |
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Open Communities Alliance |
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Shriver Center on Poverty Law |
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3/4 - 3/6
New Orleans, LA
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American Association of College for Teacher Education - The Annual Meeting provides a forum for educators to engage in meaningful discussions, share research and practices, and become better equipped to drive change in the educator preparation field.
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South by Southwest - A four-day event offering compelling sessions, in-depth workshops, engaging learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, future-focused competitions, an expo, networking opportunities, and so much more.
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Council of the Great City Schools/National School Boards Association - The first in-person school law seminar in more than a year, will provide school lawyers with timely, valuable resources to make the best decisions for their districts.
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National School Board Association - The event that brings together education leaders to learn about best governance practices, gain insight into child development and learn about new programs and technology that can help enrich student learning.
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American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law - The event is designed to train, engage, and provide opportunities for networking and dialogue among child welfare professionals.
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4/18 - 4/22
Clark County, NV
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Magnet Schools of America - More than a thousand magnet school teachers, principals, and administrators from across the country participate in MSA’s annual meeting. It features outstanding keynote speakers and sessions focusing on best practices in curriculum and instruction, technology integration, school leadership, and magnet school design.
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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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