MAY 2024 UPDATES

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Earlier this month, we gathered at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with The Century Foundation's Bridges Collaborative, American Institutes for Research, and Integrated Schools (along with many, many participating NCSD members) to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board and build a collective vision for truly integrated and equitable schools. Watch the full event recording or listen to a recap via The Integrated Schools Podcast.

POLICY UPDATES

NCSD SIGN-ON LETTER ADVOCATES FOR SCHOOL INTEGRATION IN FY25 APPROPRIATIONS


Joined by more than 75 organizations and individuals, NCSD submitted a multi-organization sign-on letter calling on Congress to "do more to support holistic, voluntary school integration, thereby helping to facilitate diverse learning environments, adequate and equitable access to vital learning resources in our nation’s public schools, a skilled workforce, and ultimately pathways to increased cross-racial/class understanding in our society." Specifically, we asked Senate and House Appropriations Committees to: fully fund President Biden's Fostering Diverse Schools (FDS) budget request at $100 million; continue funding the FDS Demonstration Grant Program; and increase funding for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) to $220 million. A joint letter put forth by EdTrust includes support for FDS and MSAP among its asks.


Related federal activity:


ED NOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS FOR COMPREHENSIVE CENTER PROGRAMS


The U.S. Department of Education (ED) published a Notice of Final Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria (NFP) and a Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for five-year grant awards under ED’s Comprehensive Centers Program. Comprehensive Centers provide capacity-building services to state, regional, tribal, and local educational agencies to help improve outcomes for all students. ED will make awards across three types of Centers: a National Center, 14 Regional Centers, and emerging Content Centers, which will "provide targeted and universal capacity-building support in four key areas: English Learners and Multilingualism; Early School Success; Strengthening and Supporting the Educator Workforce and Fiscal Equity." Of particular note, the Center on Fiscal Equity "will provide capacity-building services to support states and school districts build equitable and adequate resource allocation strategies, improve the quality and transparency of fiscal data, and prioritize supports for students and communities with the greatest need."

NCSD STAFF UPDATES

What We've Been Up to Recently

SAVE OUR DATE: #NCSD2024

Fifth National Conference on School Integration

November 14-16, 2024

Washington, DC


NCSD’s national conference is finally back! The gathering represents the largest cross-sector school integration convening in the nation, providing a space for parents, students, educators, researchers, advocates, activists, policymakers (from federal, state, and local levels), and other supporters to coalesce around a shared commitment to integrated education.


Attendees exchange best practices; discuss and generate tools and ideas aimed to introduce, enhance, or protect school diversity initiatives in their communities across the country; and build supportive relationships. More details to come!

Fulfilling Brown's Promise: A Call to Action


For the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board, Brown’s Promise, in partnership with NCSD and the Education Law Center, released a “Call to Action” document, highlighting the stalled progress on integration and setting forth a comprehensive vision for the future. The document includes a clear and actionable roadmap of state policy changes, research and advocacy initiatives, and strategic litigation actions necessary to rejuvenate integration efforts nationwide. The document was developed through extensive collaboration with a diverse group of advocates, litigators, researchers, and thought leaders focused on the intersection of school funding and desegregation.


Read the press release.

Poverty & Race Special Issue on Brown at 70 and Milliken at 50


As we reflect on the 70th and 50th anniversaries of Brown v. Board of Education and Milliken v. Bradley, respectively, what progress has been made, where have we fallen short, and what is required to truly fulfill the promise of integration and educational equity? The latest issue of PRRAC’s Poverty & Race journal, coordinated by NCSD's Jenna Tomasello, aims to answer these important questions. More than a dozen experts offer critical insights and guidance to help strengthen the modern movement for school integration.


Read the full special issue! (PDF)

A MONTH OF BROWN EVENTS: CA, DC, NY, AND MORE


NCSD had another busy month supporting, participating in, and speaking at numerous events and panels around the country. In addition to our "Brown v. Board at 70: Fulfilling the True Promise of School Integration" event discussed above:


  • NCSD Director Gina Chirichigno participated in The Educational Opportunity Project's "The Unfinished Legacy of Brown v Board of Education at 70" conference at Stanford, which unveiled a new interactive map that provides data on racial/ethnic and economic school segregation in states, counties, metropolitan areas, and school districts from 1991 to 2022.
  • This new tool garnered A LOT of media attention, see a sampling here.
  • Also, check out New America's suite of between-district segregation and resource inequity resources, which includes an interactive map, report, and multimedia story.
  • NCSD Communications Manager Jenna Tomasello participated in a Thurgood Marshall Center Trust event, commemorating Brown v. Board and DC's desegregation case, Bolling v. Sharpe, as well as the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall. Check out this piece recapping the event (and quoting Jenna Tomasello!).


NCSD also co-sponsored and participated in a number of other events, including:

BROWN ANNIVERSARY NEWS

As you know, the media has been shining a spotlight on Brown v. Board throughout the month of May, with my outlets running dozens of stories and even creating new webpages and tools to house content related to the 70th anniversary. Check out these pages and a sampling of stories below (many of which mention NCSD and/or quote our members!):



Special shoutout to Smithsonian Magazine for this nice mention: "The AIR Equity Initiative is one of many organizations that is seeking to address inequity and racial isolation in our schools. The Century Foundation, Brown’s Promise, the National Coalition on School Diversity, and others are searching for new solutions to this way-too-old problem."

IN MEMORIAM

NCSD mourns the losses of two education law, policy, and research giants: Christopher Edley and Jeannie Oakes.


"Christopher Edley Jr., Berkeley Law’s dean from 2004 to 2013 and a renowned figure in administrative law, education policy, and civil rights, died unexpectedly on May 10 at age 71...Edley forged a distinguished career in both academia and public service. He spent 23 years as a professor at Harvard Law School, where co-founded the Harvard Civil Rights Project." Read the full tribute.


"AERA 2015-16 President Jeannie Oakes, 81, died on April 25. She was Presidential Professor Emeritus in Educational Equity at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Learning Policy Institute...Watch her 2016 AERA Presidential Address here." "Oakes’ ideas and work at UCLA set a moral compass for a department of education committed to opportunity, equity, and justice, and established a research and teacher education program to develop educators to 'change the world.'" Read the full tribute.

NCSD MEMBER UPDATES

Update:

  • The Bell is accepting applications for its 5th annual Summer Youth Podcast Academy, which is open to NYC public high school students, including 2024 graduates. The program runs August 5-23, weekdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in person, and includes a $500 stipend, daily lunch allowance, and subway fare. Applications are due June 9. Learn more and apply.

Update:

Update:

  • The UCLA Civil Rights Project released two new bodies of research: one report on the state of integration in North Carolina (see press release and more below), and another two studies related to educator diversity in California.
  • This work is part of a new research series, “A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century,” in commemoration of the Civil Rights Project’s 25th anniversary.

Update:

Update:

  • Senior Director of the Flood Center Deanna Townsend-Smith published an op-ed titled "A Request from a NC Public School Graduate," which highlights her experience in NC public schools, discusses challenges associated with the expansion of private school vouchers, and identifies the connection between private school vouchers, Leandro, and the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board. See also this EdNC piece about the Flood Center's "Mapping the Movement" project and convening.

Update:

Update:

  • The Integrated Schools Podcast first-ever live show took place at our #BrownAt70 event earlier this month at the National Museum of African American History and Culture discussed above. Hosts Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown facilitated three panel discussions that grappled with the challenges we face today in fulfilling the true promise of Brown.  

Update:

Update:

  • LDF hosted a series of events to reflect on the legacy of Brown and the future of education equity, and its Thurgood Marshall Institute released a brief titled "Renewing the Promise of Brown."
  • LDF announced its fourth 10-person cohort of the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program, a pipeline program aimed to "endow the South with the next generation of civil rights lawyers trained to provide legal advocacy of unparalleled excellence in the pursuit of racial justice."

Update:

Update:

  • For the Brown v. Board anniversary, the North Carolina Justice Center released a statement reminding that this year also marks the 30th anniversary of Leandro v. State of North Carolina, North Carolina’s landmark constitutional case which guarantees access to adequately and equitably resourced schools, and calling on the state to "renew its commitment to integration and support for public schools."

Update:

  • AIR announced on the Brown v. Board anniversary "$5.8 million in grants to fund programs and initiatives to create more integrated, equitable education experiences for preK-12 public school students." PRRAC is one of seven universities and nonprofits to receive this new round of funding for a project designed to help housing mobility programs provide improved services to families with housing vouchers moving into low-poverty, high-performing school districts.

Update:

Update:

  • For Mother's Day, SPLC released a piece on “Mothers of the Movement,” calling attention to the role Black women have played in the Civil Rights Movement and in organizing for justice and democracy today.
  • SLPC's Learning for Justice released an article and toolkit on connecting Brown to current social justice and inclusive education challenges.

RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL (RAP) UPDATES



Learn more about our Research Advisory Panel here.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBER UPDATES


NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR COUNTRY

National -


Alabama -


Arkansas -


California -



Colorado -



Delaware -



Georgia -



  • After Brown ruling, these students and teachers changed Georgia’s schools (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 17) - "The scale of the change is difficult to measure in Georgia, in part because the response varied by place and time.Rural Georgia reacted differently than urban Atlanta. And even in the city, there was no one narrative."
  • 70 years after Brown, Georgia is moving in the wrong direction (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 12) - "As public school students in high schools across Georgia, we believe that the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education is not just a cause for celebration but an invitation to recommit ourselves to the promise of a public education system that affirms an essential truth: Schools separated by race will never be equal."

Kansas -



Lousiana -



New Jersey -


New York -


North Carolina -


Tennessee -


Texas -


Virginia -


  • State, federal aid help Brown v. Board of Education scholarship fund reach over $3.4 million (Virginia Mercury, May 23) - "On the heels of the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which mandated public school desegregation nationwide, Virginia’s scholarship fund named after the landmark Supreme Court case has gained $2.5 million in federal and state aid."
  • Virginia marks historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling (WTVR, May 18) - "Friday marked 70 years since the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme and a museum dedicated to telling part of the story of that case is commemorating the anniversary this weekend."
  • Speakers: School segregation legacy lives on in school name changes (Northern Virginia Daily, May 16) - "On May 9, the school board voted 5-1 to restore the name of Stonewall Jackson High School to what is now called Mountain View High School and to restore the name of Ashby-Lee Elementary School to what is now called Honey Run Elementary. The names had been changed in 2020 during the racial justice movement sweeping the country."
  • Most desegregation gains 'have now been lost' (Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 14) - "More than 30,000 students were attending “intensely” segregated schools—in which either whites or people of color made up 90% or more of the student body—in three local school districts in the 2022-23 school year. More than 95% of those young people attended schools in Richmond and Chesterfield and Henrico counties that were made up almost exclusively of students of color."
  • Many Virginia students still separated by race, economic class (Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 13) - "But today, nearly 70 years after the landmark ruling, students in Virginia remain largely separated by race and economic class. While segregation is no longer mandated by public policy, it is reinforced by school attendance zones and segregated housing patterns."
  • Students 'embody spirit of Barbara Johns' through Change Awards (Farmville Herald, May 6) - "A leader in the Civil Rights Movement and Prince Edward County historical icon is still making an impact today. Students are following in the footsteps of Barbara Rose Johns... [as] the Virginia Council for the Social Studies debuted its inaugural Barbara Johns Youth Change Agents Awards."

Washington, DC -


  • D.C. Residents Reflect on Impact of Bolling v. Sharpe Decision (Washington Informer, May 22) - "The Bolling v. Sharpe Supreme Court decision of 1954, decided on the same day as Brown v. Board of Education, deemed the racial segregation of District public schools unconstitutional. In the years that followed, local and federal officials attempted to facilitate racial integration at several all-white District schools, including John Philip Sousa Junior High School, where the Black plaintiffs in the landmark civil rights case attempted to enroll their children."
  • How Black parents in D.C. got segregation struck down 70 years ago (Washington Post, May 17) - "On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board—and in the D.C. companion case Bolling v. Sharpe."

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Children’s Defense Fund

Education Law Center

Education Law Association

Education Trust

  • Assistant Director of P-16 Policy and Research
  • P-12 Policy Fellow
  • Senior Policy Analyst
  • Spencer Fellow for Youth Participatory Action Research
  • View all EdTrust openings

Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality

Latin American Youth Center

  • Educational Programs Manager
  • Housing Programs Manager
  • Community Schools Coordinator
  • View all LAYC openings

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Legal Defense Fund

  • Director/Deputy Director of Policy
  • Senior Policy Counsel/Associate
  • Community Organizer
  • View all LDF openings

Open Communities Alliance

Public School Forum of NC

Redress Movement

School + State Finance Project

Southern Education Foundation

  • Early Childhood Education Senior Fellow
  • Technical Assistance Lead, EAC-South
  • Communications Manager, Equity Assistance Center-South
  • View all SEF openings

South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race

Stanford University

W.C. Graustein Memorial Fund

DC

Washington, DC

June 13

Education R&D: Innovating Solutions for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Opportunities Briefing

Alliance for Learning Innovation


From FutureEd: "The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) will host a Congressional briefing to highlight the significant social, economic, and competitive benefits of sustained federal funding in education research and development (R&D)...This briefing will bring together federal, state and non-profit leaders to discuss how education R&D can be used to address current educational challenges and pave the way for future educational improvements."

DC

Washington, DC

July 10-12

National Forum on Education Policy

Education Commission of the States


"The 2024 National Forum will bring together policymakers and thought leaders from across the country to address the most pressing issues in state education policy."

MI

Detroit, MI

July 15-26

Democracy and Education: A View from Detroit

Michigan State University


"This institute will engage participants in historical, legal, philosophical, sociological, and pedagogical questions about democratic governance and participation through careful study of the Supreme Court’s decision in Milliken v. Bradley, the history that preceded it, and the educational, social, and political developments that followed it."

They can’t take race out of this case. From the day this case was filed until this moment, nobody has in any form or fashion...done anything to distinguish this statute from the Black Codes.

–Thurgood Marshall (1953)

Founded in 2009, the National Coalition on School Diversity is a cross-sector network of 50+ national civil rights organizations, university-based research centers, and state and local coalitions working to expand support for school integration. NCSD supports its members in designing, enacting, implementing, and uplifting PK-12 public school integration policies and practices so we may build cross-race/cross-class relationships, share power and resources, and co-create new realities.

NCSD MEMBERSHIP

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund * Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund * American Civil Liberties Union * Poverty & Race Research Action Council * Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law * Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund * Magnet Schools of America * One Nation Indivisible * Southern Poverty Law Center * Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School * Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA * Campaign for Educational Equity, Teachers College, Columbia University * University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights * Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University * Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley * Education Rights Center, Howard University School of Law * Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at the University of Minnesota Law School * Education Law Center * New York Appleseed * Sheff Movement Coalition * Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation * ERASE Racism * Chicago Lawyers' Committee * Empire Justice Center * IntegrateNYC * Intercultural Development Research Association * Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education * Institute for Social Progress at Wayne County Community College District * Center on Law, Inequaliy and Metropolitan Equity at Rutgers Law School * Integrated Schools * The Office of Transformation and Innovation at the Dallas Independent School District * Live Baltimore * Maryland Equity Project at the University of Maryland College of Education Center for Education and Civil Rights at Penn State College of Education * National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector * Diversity Education Network at Rutgers University * Being Black at School * UnifiEd * The Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy Public Advocacy for Kids * The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools * The School Diversity Notebook Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. * Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, Inc. (METCO) * Learn Together, Live Together * Beloved Community * Learning Policy Institute * Public School Forum of North Carolina * The Bell North Carolina Justice Center * The Bridges Collaborative at The Century Foundation * SproutFive * Oneonta For Equality * NestQuest Houston * Metis Associates

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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