Segregating California's Future: Inequality and Its Alternative, 60 Years after Brown v. Board of Education

California has had serious issues of separation and discrimination in its schools since it became a state. It was little affected by the Brown decision, which was directed primarily at the 17 states that had laws mandating the segregation of African Americans. Although the California Supreme Court recognized a broad desegregation right in the state constitution, and the legislature briefly mandated that school boards take action to enforce this right, both were reversed by voter-approved propositions. The 1979 Proposition One led to the termination of the city's desegregation plan -- the first major city in the U.S. to end its plan. U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the 1990s led eventually to the termination of the federal desegregation orders in San Francisco and San Jose. Major court decisions in California mandating desegregation that occurred in the 1970s were overturned by the 1990s, thus California presently has no school integration policy. Segregation has grown substantially in the past two decades, especially for Latinos. White students' contact with nonwhite and poor students has increased significantly because of the dramatic change in overall population. Black and Latino students are strongly concentrated in schools that have far lower quality, according to state Academic Performance Index (API) ratings. Conversely, a far larger share of whites and Asians attend the most highly related schools and thus are the most prepared for college. A half-century of desegregation research shows the major costs of segregation and the variety of benefits of schools that are attended by all races

Disturbing inequities: Exploring the relationship between racial disparities in special education identification and discipline

This study used negative binomial regression to investigate whether exposure to novice teachers and risk for identification for special education predicted suspension rates. Data from the 2009-2010 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) was used. The sample was comprised of 72,168 schools from nearly 7,000 school districts from nearly every state. Identification as having emotional disturbance and specific learning disabilities were found to predict an increase in suspension rates for some subgroups across some school levels. Conversely, identification as being autistic was found to predict a decrease in suspension rates for some subgroups across some school levels. Policy implications are discussed

Disturbing Inequities: Exploring the Relationship Between Racial Disparities in Special Education Identification and Discipline

This study examines whether exposure to novice teachers and risk for identification for special education predicated suspension rates. Identification as having emotional disturbance and specific learning disabilities were found to predict an increase in suspension rates for Black male students. The report's findings draw from 72,168 schools in nearly 7,000 school districts from nearly every state

“He’s an idiot!” Experiences of International Students in the United States

Kim, a doctoral student from South Korea, went to a grocery store after being in the U.S. for only one week. When he got to a counter to pay for the items that he picked up, a clerk asked if Kim wanted cash back when he paid with his debit card. Since there was no cash back system in grocery markets in his home country, Kim did not understand right away what the clerk meant. Kim seemed to be puzzled and responded, “Yes, I want cash [back]” but changed his answer in a few seconds, “No, no, no. [I] don’t need [it].” On hearing him, the clerk whispered to another clerk:, “He’s an idiot.

Making Education Work For Latinas in the U.S.

This study examines the existing knowledge base about promoting Latina educational success, defined as completing high school and then going on to secure a college degree. It also adds to existing research by examining two large data sets - one national, and one California-based for predictors of successful educational outcomes for representative samples of Latina youth who have recently been in high school and college. Finally, after identifying important predictors of success from the existing literature, and the examination of current data, the study incorporates case studies of seven young Latinas who illustrate pathways of women who are finding their way to educational success through high school, community college, and four year universities. Their stories provide a deeper understanding of the challenges that young Latinas encounter in our culture, as well as the promise they represent

No. 9, September 2021: Leaders’ Perspectives on the Preparation of Bilingual/Dual Language Teachers

This research and policy brief uplifts findings from a 2020 survey of 223 California school district leaders. Findings regarding the preparation of beginning bilingual/dual language educators indicate that leaders rated teachers’ linguistic competencies in two languages as the most important ability, followed by teachers’ understanding of bilingualism and biliteracy development and linguistic pedagogical knowledge. Respondents rated beginning bilingual teachers’ preparation to meet the needs of their districts/schools as “moderately well” (M=3.1 out of 5). The brief concludes by identifying policy recommendations for state and local levels as well as for institutions of higher education policies and practice in this statewide “new ecology of biliteracy”: (1) data collection and reporting on bilingual teacher demographics and authorization; (2) increased quality of fieldwork and clinical experiences for future bilingual teachers; (3) increased funding for bilingual teacher preparation programs to diversity pipelines into bilingual education preparation programs, recruitment, support, and program completion; and (4) differentiated professional development experiences for beginning bilingual teachers including mentoring, learning communities, and cross-departmental teams.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ceel_education_policybriefs/1008/thumbnail.jp