Policies Promoting Regional Schools with a Focus on Equity, Diversity and Innovation

Racially and socio-economically diverse schools can bring higher student achievement and ensure better outcomes for lower income and minority students. By creating diverse school environments, students from a young age are less likely to form racial stereotypes and more likely to seek out integrated environments in the future

Why do racial disparities in school discipline exist? The role of policies, processes, people, and places

This brief is part of larger regional study of racial equity in discipline policies and practices conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). The goal of the broader project is to: (1) analyze racial disproportionality in discipline across the Richmond area, (2) explore various interventions designed to ameliorate disproportionality, and (3) provide recommendations that inform policymaking and practice in the Richmond region. This is the first of two research briefs on racially inequitable school discipline. The subsequent brief will examine the history and theory of action behind different discipline models or interventions, as well as evidence of their impact on racial disproportionality. At the end of this brief, five of the key research studies on this topic are summarized

Mitigating Milliken? School District Boundary Lines and Desegregation Policy in Four Southern Metropolitan Areas, 1990–2010

Over the past half century, law and policy have helped cement tremendous inequities into the structure of our cities. District boundary lines separating multiple, unequal school systems within a single metropolitan (metro) area play a central role in structuring racial and economic isolation. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, this study explores how patterns of school segregation are linked to desegregation policy and district boundary arrangements in four southern metro areas. Findings indicate that while city-suburban mergers create far more potential for meaningful school desegregation within a school system, simply eliminating district boundaries is not enough. Corresponding and well-designed school desegregation policy is necessary to achieve widespread integration of students. In a society growing more diverse even as its schools remain very separate, lessons from this study provide new insight into strategies that will help return our society to fulfilling the goals of Brown v. Board of Education

The Potential for Land Use and Housing Reform to Address School Segregation and Educational Opportunity

Housing, land use, and zoning policies are often siloed in such a way that they are considered and addressed separately from school segregation and students&rsquo; opportunities to learn. But these policy areas can interact in powerful ways. This policy brief attempts to break down those siloes. Drawing on multiple bodies of literature, it explores what we know about the potential of housing and land use policy reform to address school segregation&mdash;and why doing so matters. The research reviewed here illuminates the close historical and legal relationship between school and housing segregation and the clear links between land use policy and school and housing segregation. Studies also show that where land use or housing reforms have enabled greater access to less segregated schools, historically marginalized students&rsquo; outcomes have improved. The brief concludes with recommendations for policymakers to offer pathways to diverse, well-resourced schools for historically marginalized families, along with oversight and enforcement that considers school-housing interrelationships.</p

Magnet Schools Promote Diversity, Opportunity, Equity, Achievement

Last spring, nearly 400 people from across the metro area came together over two days at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University to learn about our region’s troubled public school history … and how to move forward. Indicative of significant and communitywide investment, conference attendees expressed interest in solutions that would promote school diversity, equity and opportunity in central Virginia. These included innovative solutions and tested strategies for addressing educational inequalities both within and across area school systems. One of the key solutions discussed during the conference was the establishment of regional magnet schools. These programs are typically located on or near urban-suburban boundaries and draw students across multiple school districts in order to promote diversity and achievement

Magnets e turnarounds escolares: Revisitando políticas para promover escolas diversificadas e eqüitativas

This case study examines how magnet school and school turnaround processes can work together to promote desegregation and improvement. Based on cross-case analysis of three magnet schools undergoing turnarounds, this study draws on data from the 2010 federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant and qualitative fieldwork through observations, interviews, and focus groups. In academically struggling schools with high concentrations of students of color and low-income students, successful magnet turnarounds involve changes across many aspects of the schools. While the local context is essential for shaping the magnet turnaround process, these three schools reveal common ways in which participants viewed their schools as successful turnarounds, the elements that supported success, and the challenges that magnets undergoing a turnaround are likely to face. Participants’ perceptions of a successful turnaround were based on increasing family interest and increasing racial and economic diversity, as well as improvements in curriculum and instruction, school culture, and academic achievement. This study helps broaden our definition of a school turnaround beyond higher test scores and reminds us of the origins of the concept, which revolved around desegregation. Lessons from the sites suggest that rather than closing underperforming or under-enrolled schools, districts should consider magnet schools as a turnaround approach.Este estudio de casos examina cómo los procesos de turnaround (recuperación) de escuela y escuela de magnet pueden trabajar juntos para promover la desregulación y la mejora. Con base en el análisis cruzado de tres escuelas de magnet en recuperación, este estudio se basa en datos del subsidio federal del Programa de Asistencia de las Escuelas Magnet y en el trabajo de campo cualitativo por medio de observaciones, entrevistas y grupos focales. En escuelas con dificultades académicas, con altas concentraciones de alumnos de color y alumnos de bajos ingresos, los turnos de éxito exitosos de los asociados involucra cambios en muchos aspectos de las escuelas. Aunque el contexto local es esencial para moldear el proceso de recuperación del magnet, estas tres escuelas revelan maneras comunes por las cuales los participantes veían sus escuelas como retornos exitosos, los elementos que sostenían el éxito y los desafíos que los imanes pasando por un giro probablemente se enfrentaría. Las percepciones de los participantes de un giro exitoso se basaron en el interés creciente de la familia y en el aumento de la diversidad racial y económica, así como mejoras en el currículo y la enseñanza, la cultura escolar y el desempeño académico. Este estudio ayuda a ampliar nuestra definición de un giro en la escuela más allá de los resultados de las pruebas más altas y nos recuerda los orígenes del concepto, que giraba en torno a la decesión. Las lecciones de los sitios sugieren que, en lugar de cerrar escuelas de bajo rendimiento o con bajo nivel de matriculación, los distritos deberían considerar las escuelas magnetcomo un enfoque de recuperación.Este estudo de caso examina como os processos de turnaround (recuperação) de escola e escola de magnet podem trabalhar juntos para promover a dessegregação e a melhoria. Com base na análise cruzada de três escolas de magnet em recuperação, este estudo baseia-se em dados do subsídio federal do Programa de Assistência das Escolas Magnet e no trabalho de campo qualitativo por meio de observações, entrevistas e grupos focais. Em escolas com dificuldades acadêmicas, com altas concentrações de alunos de cor e alunos de baixa renda, as turnarounds bem-sucedidas dos magnets envolvem mudanças em muitos aspectos das escolas. Embora o contexto local seja essencial para moldar o processo de recuperação do magnet, essas três escolas revelam maneiras comuns pelas quais os participantes viam suas escolas como retornos bem sucedidos, os elementos que sustentavam o sucesso e os desafios que os imãs passando por uma reviravolta provavelmente enfrentariam. As percepções dos participantes de uma reviravolta bem-sucedida foram baseadas no interesse crescente da família e no aumento da diversidade racial e econômica, bem como melhorias no currículo e no ensino, cultura escolar e desempenho acadêmico. Este estudo ajuda a ampliar nossa definição de uma reviravolta na escola além dos resultados de testes mais altos e nos lembra das origens do conceito, que girava em torno da dessegregação. Lições dos sites sugerem que, em vez de fechar escolas com baixo desempenho ou com baixo nível de matrícula, os distritos deveriam considerar as escolas magnétcomo uma abordagem de recuperação

How families from gentrifying neighborhoods can help break the cycle of school segregation

Those who traditionally attend racially similar schools tend to seek out a similar environment for their own children, a trend which can reinforce school segregation. Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Stefani Thachik and Kim Bridges have studied families in a gentrifying neighborhood, finding that many who came from privileged backgrounds wished to send their own children to public schools and to invest in them in order to demonstrate their commitment to the neighborhood

Solidifying Segregation or Promoting Diversity? School Closure and Rezoning in an Urban District

Purpose: Layered with myriad considerations, school closure and rezoning processes in urban school systems are politically fraught with the potential for damaging consequences. This article explores the politics and impacts of a closure and rezoning process in Richmond, Virginia, through the lens of themes applicable to urban school systems and students across the nation. These include the intersection of closure and rezoning with growing White reinvestment in urban school systems, as well as the importance of focusing on diversity and equity during a time of intense pressure to close schools. Research Methods/Approach: Drawing on the case of Richmond, Virginia, we use an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, employing qualitative methods to examine the political process of a 2013 school closure and elementary school rezoning effort and quantitative and spatial methods to examine its impact on racial composition and segregation in attendance zones and schools. Findings and Implications: We find that the political process of redrawing elementary school attendance boundaries in Richmond was associated with a dramatic increase in racial segregation between elementary attendance zones over a short period of time. Leadership changes and political considerations drove a rapid and antagonistic decision-making process that minimized broad-based public participation and privileged the voices of White families in a city school system that is less than 10% White. Despite a contentious and opaque decision-making process and starkly segregative impacts, community response and support for school diversity points to the potential for leveraging urban population shifts to increase rather than decrease diverse school settings

NEPC Review: The Integration Anomaly: Comparing the Effects of K-12 Education Delivery Models on Segregation in Schools

The Integration Anomaly explores a “puzzling divergence” between changes in metropolitan residential and school segregation. Based on a review of existing literature, it argues that the best way to address rising school segregation is to decouple school assignment from neighborhoods through universal school choice. The report concludes with suggestions for how to structure school choice to achieve integration. On the surface, the report provides clear-cut, useful recommendations for addressing persistent school segregation. Yet the analysis of the empirical relationship between school and residential segregation relies on flawed methodological decisions concerning how to define segregation and divergent trends over time. Those problematic definitions, in turn, yield biased results and prompt the reader to incorrectly assume that housing integration policies will have little bearing on school segregation. Moreover, the report’s review of the literature on school choice is haphazard and incomplete, drawing conclusions beyond what the research supports. Perhaps most importantly, The Integration Anomalyignores a growing body of literature finding that the very type of unregulated school choice it proposes has, in many instances, exacerbated racial segregation. The report presents arguments and solutions largely driven by ideology, not evidence, offering little value for policymakers or educators meaningfully engaged in the critical search for strategies to reduce school segregation

Toward a Vision of Racial Equity in Richmond Schools

The authors present their vision for racial equity in Richmond schools, including real integration, enabled by stronger and more inclusive advocacy. It is based on their collective personal and professional experiences, research, and best practices from around the country. They believe these strategies will lead us toward greater racial equity in Richmond and the education all of our children deserve.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/richmondracialequityessays_essays/1007/thumbnail.jp