Our Advocacy Led to a New Federal School Integration Grant Program

Our coalition's advocacy helped secure new federal funding to support state and local school integration efforts. On May 8, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the first-ever Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program. Last month, ED awarded $14 million in school integration planning and implementation grants to 14 states and districts.

Also, the Strength in Diversity Act was reintroduced in Congress on May 17 (the 69th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education). NCSD has long championed this bill, which would help support voluntary, community-driven school integration strategies.

Our ESSA Title II and Educator Diversity Research is a Critical Contribution to the Field

NCSD was among six organizations awarded an American Institutes for Research (AIR) rapid-cycle project grant to conduct research on school integration and equity. NCSD’s project, “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,” will culminate in three forthcoming reports and other resources for the field.

AIR also published its Integration and Equity 2.0: New and Reinvigorated Approaches to School Integration compendium of essays by researchers, activists, and other experts, including several NCSD members.

Our Poverty & Race Issue Charts a Path for Addressing School Segregation and Inequity in Tandem

NCSD collaborated with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) on a school finance special issue of Poverty & Race (PRRAC's quarterly journal). Guest edited by Derek Black and coordinated by NCSD's Jenna Tomasello, this issue features an impressive lineup of research, policy, and legal experts, including several NCSD members working at the intersection of school funding and segregation/integration.



Also, on September 28, NCSD co-hosted the first-ever “Poverty & Race Live” event, The Interconnection Between School Finance and Segregation: Exploring the Nuances of Property Taxes, School Boundaries, and Educational Inequity, featuring NCSD members and authors from the school finance special issue.

Our Latest Research Brief Links Education Assessment and Accountability to Segregation

NCSD published a new research brief by James Noonan and Peter Piazza, “Accountability Systems and the Persistence of School Segregation: Research Evidence and Future Directions,” which examines recent empirical research on the relationship between school accountability systems and segregation, and how these systems might be refined to promote real integration in schools.

Also, on May 22, NCSD co-hosted the first-ever #CiteNite on the brief, a quasi-book club for education researchers, practitioners, and advocates about research that can help guide and connect the school integration movement. The event featured the brief’s authors as well as experts Davíd Martínez and Raquel Muñiz.

Social Media Campaigns: 6

HIGHLIGHT: NCSD co-hosted a Twitter chat in recognition of the 50th anniversary of San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez to spark conversation around the link between school funding and segregation. Over a dozen education equity and integration experts participated in the discussion, even grabbing the attention and engagement of Nikole Hannah-Jones. See this recap via the School Diversity Notebook.

Events and Webinars: 5

HIGHLIGHT: NCSD co-hosted the first-ever live performance and panel discussion of Between the Lines, an Epic Theatre Ensemble play commissioned by NCSD and PRRAC on the connection between housing policy and segregation/inequity in schools. Following the student performance, the students and expert panelists engaged in a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.

Conference Presentations: 6

HIGHLIGHT: NCSD Director Gina Chirichigno spoke on a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 52nd Annual Legislative Conference, alongside Leslie Fenwick, Terris Ross (AIR Equity Initiative), and Kim DuMont (W.T. Grant Foundation). Congressman Bobby Scott provided opening remarks. The opportunity arose from NCSD’s project on Title II of ESSA and educator diversity (discussed above).

Newsletters and Emails: 14

HIGHLIGHT: Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Harvard University and University of North Carolina admissions cases, NCSD released a statement in defense of diversity and equity in our nation’s PK-12 schools, reiterating our unwavering commitment to school integration and highlighting powerful words of wisdom and solidarity from several of our members.