CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!

NCSD is excited to announce the launch of our refreshed website, which we unveiled last week at our conference! Designed with you in mind, the site offers a fresh look, improved navigation, and easier access to our wealth of resources—research and policy briefs, advocacy letters, newsletter archives, and other publications on school integration.

We also wanted the website to visually embody the power, expertise, and even joy of our work, people, and the integration movement. We’re proud that you won’t find a single stock photo on the website, as all images come from the last 15 years of convening, connecting, and working so closely with many of you.

What’s New?

• A streamlined and visually engaging user-friendly design
• Updated research, policy, and advocacy tools
• Easier ways to connect and engage with our coalition

Visit diverseschools.org today and explore our new look!

LEGAL & POLICY UPDATES

NCSD MEMBER UPDATES

RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL (RAP) UPDATES

• The second edition of Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools by Amanda Lewis and John Diamond is now available. The book has a new reading guide and offers actionable strategies for educators, researchers, and policymakers working toward educational equity.
• A new article by Lewis Doyle, Linda R. Tropp, and Matthew J. Easterbrook, Examining How White Teachers’ Interracial Contact Experiences Shape Their Self-Efficacy and School Choices, "[R]eveal[s] that (a) White teachers’ interracial contact experiences predicted a stronger sense of self-efficacy about cross-race engagement; (b) White teachers generally showed a preference for working in a majority-White school compared to a majority-Black school, but this bias was attenuated by teachers’ interracial contact experiences; and (c) the link between cross-race friendships and desire to work in the majority-Black school was mediated by a greater sense of self-efficacy."

Learn more about our Research Advisory Panel here.

CROSS-MOVEMENT RESOURCES

NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR COUNTRY

National -

• Teachers union sues over Trump administration’s deadline to end school diversity programs (AP, Feb. 25) - "A new federal lawsuit in Maryland is challenging a Trump administration memo giving the nation’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate 'race-based' practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money."
• Educators sue to block enforcement of anti-diversity civil rights guidance; School diversity efforts could violate civil rights, Trump administration says
• Administration’s DEI Rollback Efforts Paused by Federal Judge (Crowell, Feb. 24) - "In early February, a coalition of groups representing college professors, school diversity officers, and restaurant workers, as well as the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore sued the Trump Administration in federal district court in Maryland, alleging that the EOs violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution as well as the Constitutional separation of powers."
• Why School Suspensions Do More Harm Than Good (Time, Feb. 21) - "What I found is that the common use of school suspensions followed the massive resistance to school desegregation in the years after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Out-of-school suspensions were, initially, a method to resist desegregation and maintain a racial hierarchy in access to education."
• Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration Over D.E.I. Orders (NYT, Feb. 19) - "The organizations claimed that the president had exceeded his authority in issuing the orders, and that they intentionally discriminated against Black and transgender people."
• Trump’s push against Education Department raises concerns over DEI, civil rights
• The Great Resegregation (The Atlantic, Feb. 22) - "The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI are aimed at reversing the civil-rights movement."
• Civil Rights Group Details Opposition to McMahon Education Nomination (Diverse, Feb. 18) - "In a letter to Senate leadership, LDF Director of Policy Demetria L. McCain outlined four major concerns about McMahon's nomination, including her apparent support for dismantling the Department of Education, her limited educational experience, and her role in developing controversial education policies through the America First Policy Institute (AFPI)."
• Black parents face tough balancing act in choosing schools (Axios, Feb. 15) - "Despite decades of desegregation efforts, Black parents in the U.S. still face challenges in choosing where to send their kids. They often find their choices lack racial diversity or funding...Schools with students and teachers from diverse backgrounds best prepare students for the diverse world, experts said, but schools have become increasingly more segregated since the '90s."
• Lawmakers weigh solutions to poor academic performances, college debt (K12 Dive, Feb. 5) - "Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., said current efforts to expand private school choice and curtail civil rights protections are the same actions used to resist school desegregation decades ago. A panel witness, Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel for NAACP Legal Defense Fund, agreed."

Arizona -

• Arizona judge ruled against segregation a year before landmark opinion in Brown (Axios, Feb. 5) - "A year before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education, an Arizona judge ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional...Carver High School, founded in 1926 on Grant Street south of downtown Phoenix, was at the center of that case."

Arkansas -

• Bill to create monument to Arkansas’ first school desegregation passes House, heads to Senate (Democrat-Gazette, Feb. 13) - "Cavenaugh is the lead sponsor of the bill which would place a monument at the capitol recognizing the 1955 integration of public schools in Hoxie, the first such desegregation in Arkansas."

Colorado -

• Board proposal calls for adjusting Denver school boundaries every 10 years (Chalkbeat Colorado, Feb. 6) - "Denver Public Schools’ superintendent would have to 'analyze and adjust' school enrollment boundaries every 10 years or less under a proposal being considered by the school board...The district hasn’t systematically reviewed its school boundaries in several decades, since it was the subject of a school desegregation lawsuit that led to widespread busing."

Connecticut -

• See how racial demographics vary between Connecticut public and private schools, according to data (Stamford Advocate, Feb. 18) - "A new data dashboard published by ProPublica that compares public and private school demographics across the United States shows that racial segregation persists at significant levels within many municipalities in Connecticut."

Delaware -

• Delaware schools that helped end segregation are now part of a national historic park (WHYY, Feb. 3) - "A trio of northern Delaware schools will join school buildings in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as part of Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. The inclusion of the Delaware schools comes after a 2022 law allowed the park, which initially was only housed in a Topeka school, to include affiliate sites."

Georgia -

• Vouchers for private schools may add up to segregation in Georgia classrooms (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 1) - "In 1954, with the issue of school desegregation on the minds of Georgia’s politicians, the state approved a constitutional amendment permitting state funds to be utilized for private school vouchers. This fact says a lot about why vouchers were created in the first place."

Missouri -

• Kansas City's 'small but mighty' fencing scene traces back to school desegregation efforts (KCUR, Feb. 21) - "But in the 1970s, fencing was a loose assortment of coaches and kids at various universities and community colleges. That changed with Kansas City’s controversial plan to desegregate its public schools starting in the mid-1980s."

New Jersey -

• New Jersey school segregation case: Back to the courts after mediation fails to forge an agreement (Chalkbeat Newark, Feb. 18) - "'We are greatly disappointed with the collapse of the mediation,' said Javier Robles, president of the Latino Action Network. 'We will continue to pursue every option to end the disgraceful legacy of segregation in New Jersey schools. This is a generational struggle, and we will do our part.'”
• School segregation lawsuit headed back to court after mediation fails; As mediation fails in NJ school segregation suit, landmark case moves to trial; Talks collapse, school desegregation case will go back to court

New York -

• NYC council postpones school segregation hearing amid fears of Trump administration scrutiny (Chalkbeat NY, Feb. 24) - "The latest aftershock from President Donald Trump’s recent federal guidance threatening to investigate schools advancing diversity efforts: a long-awaited New York City Council oversight hearing on racial segregation in the nation’s largest school system has been postponed indefinitely."

North Carolina -

• Charlotte’s history with school integration and the future of teaching history (WAFE, Feb. 3 ) - Mike Collins, along with guests Dan Aldridge, Dorothy “Dot" Counts-Scoggins, and Dr. James E. Ford, "revisit[s] Charlotte’s past with desegregation and integration leading to Counts-Scoggins pioneering walk," and together, they "look at where we are today as far as equity in public schools, and what a future could look like depending on how history is remembered for students."

Tenessee -

• Fayette County school board votes to end federal oversight in desegregation case (Fox 13, Feb. 7 ) - "The school board for Fayette County Public Schools voted Thursday to end federal oversight in a decades-old school desegregation case, declaring that the district has met all court-mandated requirements and no longer needs federal supervision regarding racial disparities in its schools."

Texas -

• Texas bill that lets families use tax dollars for private schools swiftly sails through Senate (Texas Tribune, Feb. 5 ) - "During debate before Wednesday’s vote, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, questioned Creighton, a Conroe Republican, on how the program would ensure it does not foster more segregation in the state’s education system. West nodded, in part, to the intent of early school voucher proposals in the 1950s to prevent white children from having to attend schools with Black children after the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, which ruled race-based school segregation unconstitutional."

The Education Law Association is accepting proposals for paper presentations, roundtables, and panels for its national conference. Of note: 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of Missouri v. Jenkins (1990) and the 30th anniversary of Missouri v. Jenkins II (1995), two Supreme Court rulings in a nationally-significant desegregation lawsuit originating in Kansas City. Deadline: April 1, 2025

MARCH 13-15

Washington, DC

Fifty Years of Education Finance & Policy: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

Association for Education Finance & Policy



"This year’s Conference involves anticipating future trends, challenges and opportunities in education and proactively shaping strategies and initiatives to address them, for our staff and students alike. Public school superintendents can come together in New Orleans to develop a clear vision for the future of education. The Conference will incorporate emerging technologies (last year we saw a big focus on AI – we’re confident that conversation will expand in 2025), data-driven decisions, and an increased shift towards partnerships and collaborations."

MARCH 20

5:30-8pm ET

Rochester, NY

Urban-Suburban 60th Anniversary Celebration

Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program

"For decades, Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program, administered by Monroe One BOCES, has been decreasing racial isolation, deconcentrating poverty, and enhancing opportunities for students in the Rochester City School District and the suburban districts in the Greater Rochester area... Rochester’s program is the oldest in the country and the only one of its kind where districts participate voluntarily. The Program that started in 1965 with one district and a small class of 24 students has grown to 14 districts with more than 900 students enrolled annually. We invite you to join us on March 20th to celebrate Urban-Suburban’s rich history, showcase the Program's impact, honor the graduating class of 2025, and raise vital scholarship funds for Urban-Suburban students."

APRIL 2-4

Bellevue, WA

National Work-Based Learning (WBL) Conference

ACTE

"This premier gathering offers specialized professional development tailored for WBL professionals. We are thrilled to welcome Christopher R. Nesmith, Superintendent of Elma School District, as this year's keynote speaker. Nesmith was honored with the 2024 District Administration magazine's Districts of Distinction Future Focused-Career Pathways Award, recognizing his innovative contributions to education and career pathways."

APRIL 2-4

San Diego, CA

Deeper Learning 2025

High Tech High (HTH) Graduate School of Education

"Get ready to create, collaborate, and connect with a community of educators at DL25! We believe there is no rigor without joy. Immerse yourself in transformative learning experiences that move you to design and lead with purpose and joy. Deeper Learning 2025 is one-of-a-kind global gathering of educators, leaders, and change-makers, working to create more student-centered schools. Deepen your understanding of how to engage and inspire young people to create work that really matters."

APRIL 3-6

Providence, RI

URBAN Conference

Urban Based Research Action Network

"This year’s conference emphasizes that community engaged research is essentially about shared meaning making which is at the core of co-creating our society and is critically important to a well-functioning democracy. We acknowledge the breadth and diversity of journeys that lead to community engaged research while always holding onto core values."

APRIL 7-10

Nashville, TN

MSA 2025

Magnet Schools of America

"This premier event brings together over 1,400 passionate educators, including magnet school teachers, principals, and administrators from all corners of the country. Expect to be inspired by outstanding keynote speakers who share fresh insights and vision. Dive into a dynamic array of sessions and explore best practices in curriculum and instruction, advanced technology integration, visionary school leadership, and the art of magnet school design. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future of education at the forefront of magnet school excellence!"

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” –Rosa Parks