true integration: strengthening commitment to collaboratively identify inter-district district best...

TRUE INTEGRATION: STRENGTHENING COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATIVELY

IDENTIFY INTER‐DISTRICT BEST PRACTICESIDENTIFY INTER DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES

john a. powelljohn a. powellj pj p

Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and EthnicityDirector, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and EthnicityWilliams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Moritz College of LawWilliams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Moritz College of LawWilliams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of LawWilliams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law

WMEPWorkshopWMEP WorkshopWMEP WorkshopWMEP WorkshopFebruary 18, 2010February 18, 2010Minnetonka, MNMinnetonka, MN

Today’s Conversationy2

How do we talk about race?

Understanding true integration

What true integration looks like … in the classroom … within a school … within a district

How to achieve true integration Legal considerations

Perceiving Raceg

Racial categorization occurs automatically, regardless g y gof any efforts to divert attention from race.

Withi t f i i Within moments of perceiving someone, we automatically judge that person in terms of in‐group favoritism Is that person is an “us” or a “them”?

We unconsciously think about race even when we do ynot explicitly discuss it.

Drew Westen’s The Political Brain

3

Drew Westens The Political Brain

Implicit Association Test

Context: The Dominant Consensus on RaceContext: The Dominant Consensus on RaceWhite privilege National values Contemporary culture

Current Manifestations: Social and Institutional DynamicsCurrent Manifestations: Social and Institutional Dynamics

Processes that maintain racial hierarchies Racialized public policies and institutional practicespractices

Outcomes: Racial DisparitiesOutcomes: Racial Disparities

Racial inequalities in current levels of well‐being

Capacity for individual and community improvement is underminedbeing improvement is undermined

4Ongoing Racial InequalitiesOngoing Racial Inequalities

Adapted from the Aspen Roundtable on Community Change. “Structural Racism and Community Building.” June 2004

Implicit Biasp

People have multiple networks that may be p p yactivated without our awareness.

Depending on the situation, one network becomes p g ,dominant over the others

Even though we may fight them implicit biases

5

Even though we may fight them, implicit biases reside within us…

Unconscious Operationsp

Is your baby more likely y y yor less likely to be a racist if you talk about race with him/her?race with him/her?

6

Talking About Race ‐ Don’tg

Present disparities only7

p y

Frame action as ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’

Separate out people in need from “everybody else”

Glide over real fears, shared suffering, or the fact that people are often internally divided

Dismiss the importance of individual efforts

Photo source: Lester, Julius. Let’s Talk About Race

Talking About Race ‐ Dog

Anchor the discussion to narratives that resonate 8

with your audience

Make sure everyone can see themselves in the story

It’s about “us,” not just “those people”

Acknowledge that individualism is important –b t th t th h lthi t i di id l i t d bbut that the healthiest individual is nurtured by a community invested in everyone’s success

Understanding FramingUnderstanding Framing

Framing is about how people think and how they

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Framing is about how people think, and how they interpret information and process arguments.

Frames are ‘set paths for interpreting information’ that operate subconsciously. that operate subconsciously.

All words are related to conceptual frames These All words are related to conceptual frames. These frames are ways in which people perceive and filter issues.

Effective MessagingEffective Messaging10

Everyone needs help now and then; we all want to do better We share deep values, concerns, and hopes

Addressing the problems that have a racial footprint Addressing the problems that have a racial footprint has implications and benefits for all members of society, not just marginalized groups

Linked fate – everyone benefitshttp://www.equaljusticesociety.org/2008/12/talking‐about‐race‐in‐the‐obama‐era/

Underscore shared deep valuesUnderscore shared, deep values11

Unity Security Opportunity

b l dCommunity Mobility Redemption

Fairness LibertyFairness Liberty

Transformative Discourse on RaceTransformative Discourse on Race

Not constructive ConstructiveDon’t frame issues around “what’s fair”

Reinforce the belief of opportunity for all

Assert that system flaws hurt everyone

Don’t focus on who or what is Steer the conversation toward the responsible for present inequities results being sought (i.e., a quality

education for everyone)

Don’t focus on exceptional individuals

Talk about where systems we all rely upon break down and how we can fix those systems

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fix those systems

Frameworks Institute Message Brief: Framing Race

IntegrationIntegration13

Integration is not just about representation; it’s g j p ;constitutional.

It constitutes the structures we inhabit and who we are.

“The table, and the people at the table.”

Are our structures doing the work we want them to do?

Cumulative disadvantages interact within systemsCumulative disadvantages interact within systems

Systems Thinking:h i i

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A D

The Newtonian Perspective:

A D

CA B C D E

BB

ELinear causation

14

Causation is reciprocal, mutual, and cumulative.

C l ti Di d t f St d t f C lCumulative Disadvantages for Students of Color15

i h i l lHigh crime levels

Environmental ll t tpollutants

Inaccessibility of health carehealth care

Poor housing stock

Lack of quality early childhood

d tieducation programs

Cumulative and Mutual: Cycle of SegregationCycle of Segregation

Lower EducationalOutcomes for Urban

S h l Di t i t

SchoolSegregation School DistrictsSeg egat o

Increased Flightof Affluent

Families fromUrban Areas

Neighborhood (Housing)

Segregation

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Housing is a critical intervention point into the complex web of opportunity

Housing is a part of a larger set of interrelated structures that are both

affected by housing and have impacts co p e web o oppo tu tyon attainment of safe, stable housing.

I ti /

Childcare

Incarceration/ juvenile justice

Education

Housing

HealthEmployment

Transportation

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Where children live determine their access to schoolsschools….

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playgrounds, parks, arts…

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AcademicsAcademics 20

These cumulative disparities place students of These cumulative disparities place students of color at an early academic disadvantage

One study found that African Americans entering kindergarten already performed 34 percentile points lower than their white counterpartspoints lower than their white counterparts

VE Lee & DT Burkham. Inequality at the Starting Gate. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute, 2002.

C it Di l

G i d B ildi S t

Community Dialogues

Gauging and Building Support for Integration

Desegregation ≠ True IntegrationDesegregation True Integration22

Simple desegregation efforts often result in:

assimilation,

in‐school segregation, or g g ,

tracking.

D b b i i f f Debates about integration often focus on

Assimilation and Segregationg g

instead of

Integration and Segregation

Other Terminology ConcernsOther Terminology Concerns23

Segregation is not just exclusion of people; it’s also g g j p p ;the limitation of their opportunities and resources.

Integration is often equated with black kids Integration is often equated with black kids, excluding Latinos and others.

Confusion Over Integration

What is Integration?

g

What is Integration?

Why is it Important? Why is it Important?

H d ff ti l i t t ? How do we effectively integrate?

How do we build support for it?

Confusion in Educational DiscourseConfusion in Educational Discourse25

Excellence and achievement are often posed as competing with integration.

IntegrationIntegration Excellence,Excellence,

A hi tA hi tAchievementAchievement

Confusion in Legal Discourse:g

Chief Justice Roberts: “The Constitution is not violated by racial imbalance in our schools.”violated by racial imbalance in our schools.

Justice Thomas: “Racial imbalance is not Justice Thomas: Racial imbalance is not segregation, and the mere incantation of terms like resegregation...cannot make up terms like resegregation...cannot make up the difference...Integration is merely racial balancing.g

Confusion in Civic Discourse:

We no longer think of education as a public, We no longer think of education as a public, democratic function; it is not viewed as a private and trade function.

We conflate integration with desegregation, We conflate integration with desegregation, diversity, affirmative action…

We ask whether race can be used today or whether we are not a post‐racial nation.whether we are not a post racial nation.

How Can We Move From Confusion to Understanding and Action?

Stress the Importance of Integration

Understanding and Action?

p g

Segregation makes it very difficult to develop effective citizens and social cohesioneffective citizens and social cohesion.

Bringing together students from different g g gbackgrounds should remain a central objective of American education.

In a globalizing world, if we fail at this, our country fails.

How Can We Move From Confusion to Understanding and Action?Understand what True Integration is:


“Although the terms desegregation and integration are often usedinterchangeably, there is a great deal of difference between theg y, g f fftwo…Desegregation is eliminative and negative…Integration is thepositive acceptance of desegregation and the welcomedparticipation of [nonwhites] into the total range of humanparticipation of [nonwhites] into the total range of humanactivities. Integration is genuine intergroup, interpersonaldoing. Desegregation…is only a short term goal. Integration is thel i l f i l i ”ultimate goal of our national community.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.The Ethical Demands for Integration.


True Integration also:


g

Improves critical thinking. Raises academic achievement and graduation Raises academic achievement and graduation rates.

Fosters inter‐group contact Fosters inter group contact. Avoids tracking and disproportionate discipline and special ed designationsand special ed designations.

Increases parental involvement. Reduces residential segregation Reduces residential segregation.


Learn about how Implicit Bias impacts how we


p pthink about integration.

We have made great progress toward outward equality, but we still harbor implicit bias.q y, p

Implicit biases can lead to internal conflict Implicit biases can lead to internal conflict, active resentment, and unwillingness to change.


Talk about academic excellence and


integration in new ways.

F i Framing matters.

It satisfies our need to make sense of the world It satisfies our need to make sense of the world, particularly when we are conflicted over issues like integration.

How we talk about integration can entrench or uproot and reconfigure policy preferences and p g p y pattitudes.

True Integrationg33

True integration is creative and respects inter‐group g p g prelations based on mutuality, equality and fairness

It is transformative rather than assimilative

It both transforms and enriches the mainstream In contrast, desegregation, at best, attempts to assimilate “minorities” into the mainstream

Source: powell, john a. “A new Theory of Integrated Education: True Integration” in School Resegregation: Must the South Turn Back? Ed. John Charles Boger and Gary Orfield.

Benefits of Diverse Educational Settingsg34

Children in diverse educational settings are… Children in diverse educational settings are……more comfortable with people of other races as adults

b tt bl t f ti i lti i l d lti…better able to function in our multi‐racial and multi‐cultural world

i ll bl i l i d l d …potentially able to ease racial tensions as adults and help work for a democracy that embraces diversity

…important to the position of the United States in an era of globalization and global economieseconomies

The Benefits of Racial Diversity in EducationThe enefits of Racial iversity in ducation35

“Helps students avoid or overcome stereotypes by providing a range of i d i i texperiences and viewpoints…;

Promotes cross‐cultural understanding and helps students develop interpersonal skills for a multiracial world;interpersonal skills for a multiracial world;

Prepares students for a racially diverse workplace;

Trains and educates a diverse group of leaders;

Contributes to better decision making on issues affecting our multicultural society;

F di i i i d b i l d ” Fosters diversity among civic and business leaders.”

Source: “Preserving Diversity in Higher Education: A Manual on Admissions Policies and Procedures After the University of Michigan Decisions.” Compiled by the firms of Bingham McCutcheon, Morrison & Foerster, and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe. Equal Justice Society, 2004.

Educational Benefits of Integration: Research Highlights

Raises achievement and graduation rates

Research Highlights

g• Diverse schools have smaller achievement gaps than racially isolated onesL t h l t f hi h t h l b • Low poverty schools out‐perform high poverty schools by 24:1

Builds social skills and networks needed in a global economy; breaks down stereotypes harmful to citizenship in a multi‐racial democracyy

Enhances critical thinking and problem‐solving by l i d f di i i l i placing students of diverse experiences in learning teams

Support for Diversity – Beyond Schools37

65 Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. military 65 Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. military submitted amicus briefs in Grutter stating their need for employees who had “exposure to widely p y p ydiverse people, cultures, ideas and viewpoints.”

The Supreme Court ruled that integrated, equitable education is a necessity for the American economic system and national security.

Bikson, T.K. & Law, S.A. (1994). Global preparedness and human resources. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Institute on Education and Training. (Brief for Amici Curiae, 65 Leading American Businesses in Support of Respondents, Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003) www.sxc.hu

h k kWhat True Integration Looks Like

ClassroomsSchools Districts

Inside School39

“In assessing integration efforts, we too often In assessing integration efforts, we too often look at the racial composition of a school, and not at what happens in the school.” pp

“Is Racial Integration Essential to Achieving Quality Education for Low‐Income Minority Students, In the Short Term? In the Long Term?” john a. powell in May/June 1998 issue of Poverty & Race

What a Truly Integrated School Looks LikeWhat a Truly Integrated School Looks Like40

A truly integrated school must employ teaching andy g p y gtechniques that address the multitude of student learningstyles and utilize materials fashioned by and about people ofdiverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Work toward transformative diversity

The work of creating a diverse institution does not end with a diverse student bodyy

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“Integration then is both an external and an internal process; we need to integrate not p ; gonly the students inside the building but the hearts and minds of the students as well.” hearts and minds of the students as well.

john powellj p“A New Theory of Integrated Education: True Integration

Source: powell, john a. “A new Theory of Integrated Education: True Integration” in School Resegregation: Must the South Turn Back? Ed. John Charles Boger and Gary Orfield.

Truly Diverse Schoolsy42

Harness the genuine benefits of diversity within g yand across the school

Teachers, administrators and staff must share diversity goals and be culturally competent

Teachers must have the skills and knowledge to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive space, pp , p

Curriculum should be challenging, engaging, and l ll lculturally relevant

Creating Culturally Relevant Curriculum43

Teachers should be able to articulate why students h ld l ti l t f th i lshould learn particular aspects of the curriculum

“What am I trying to accomplish by having my students read this text?”read this text?

Culturally relevant teachers think about students’ l t d i llong‐term academic goals

Instead of focusing on next week’s lesson plans, think about semester‐ or year‐long goalsabout semester or year long goals

Students should have a sense of why they are doing what they are doing

Lason‐Billings, Gloria. “Yes, But How Do We Do It?” in White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms. Ed. by Julie Landsman and Chance W. Lewis (2006)

Creating Culturally Relevant Curriculum44

Culturally relevant teachers use many real‐life Culturally relevant teachers use many real life and familiar examples

Help students “honor their own cultural beliefs and practices while acquiring access to the wider

l ” culture” (p. 36)

Lason‐Billings, Gloria. “Yes, But How Do We Do It?” in White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms. Ed. by Julie Landsman and Chance W. Lewis (2006)

A hi i T I t tiAchieving True Integration

Navigating Parents Involved

Context for Parents Involved46

Prior to Parents Involved, many districts , yconcerned that the reversion to neighborhood schools and local control would result in rapid

ti i l t d l t resegregation implemented voluntary integration plans.

These plans included redrawing attendance zones, student transfers, magnet school zones, student transfers, magnet school programs to retain diverse schools amidst a backdrop of residential segregation.

Parents Involved In Community Schools v. Seattle School District No 1 (2007)Seattle School District No. 1 (2007)

47

Parents of non‐minority students sued the Seattle Parents of non minority students sued the Seattle and Jefferson County school districts, claiming that the student assignment plans denied their children th l t ti f l d th ththe equal protection of law under the 14th

Amendment to the US Constitution.

In 2007, the Supreme Court sided with the plaintiffs and declared, in a 4‐1‐4 decision, that the Seattle

d ll h l d d bland Louisville school districts used impermissible racial classifications in student assignment in violation of the Constitution.violation of the Constitution.

Parents Involved In Community Schools v. Seattle School District No 1 (2007)Seattle School District No. 1 (2007)

48

The Court found that the plans at issue were not The Court found that the plans at issue were not narrowly tailored. The use of the racial tiebreaker within a particular +/‐ range was Constitutionally infirm.

However, the Court also allowed for the use of i i t d ffi d race in some circumstances and affirmed

maintaining diverse schools—as well as the prevention of racially isolated schools—as p ycompelling state interests.

What Can School Districts Do Post‐Parents Involved?Parents Involved?

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School districts are free to pursue socioeconomic pintegration, using indicators such as income, wealth, parental educational attainment.

Districts can also be “race conscious,” according to h S C h h d h l the Supreme Court, when they drew school boundaries, chose sites for new schools and directed money to particular programs. But they are limited ki i h i l i i f to taking into account the racial composition of a

neighborhood rather than the race of an individual student.

Parents Involved In Community Schools v. Seattle School Dist No 1 (PICS) (2007)

Seattle & Louisville voluntary integration plans

Seattle School Dist. No 1 (PICS) (2007)

y g pused race of students in assignment, in an effort to approximate, in each school, the overall racial demographics of the student population.g p p p

In 2007, the Supreme Court held that schools these plans impermissibly classified students by race in plans impermissibly classified students by race, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

HELD: SCHOOLS MAY NOT ASSIGN STUDENTS BASED ON THE RACE OF THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD.U C

What May School Districts Do?

Use race‐conscious programs (e.g., magnet

y

Use race conscious programs (e.g., magnet schools) or attendance zones.

Targeted recruiting of students and faculty Targeted recruiting of students and faculty

Track enrollment & performance by race

Pursue socio‐economic integration Integration plan must tie to educational goals Integration plan must tie to educational goals.

Opportunity Mappingpp y pp g52

While concentrated neighborhood poverty is often l t d ith i t d ibl t i correlated with race, race is not reducible to income

differentials. A multi‐factor analysis best captures more than poverty y p p yrates alone do.

O i i f d i l i Opportunity mapping of educational opportunity looks at many indicators that correlate with educational performance. Goal: identify neighborhoods that are the most

disadvantageous environments for educational success, looking at a number of factors producing cumulative g p gdisadvantage for students residing in these neighborhoods.

Other Options: School Sitingp g

Siting schools in areas that would naturally draw a d d b d hdiverse student body was another race‐conscious suggestion in Kennedy’s opinion that can be used to achieve integrative outcomes.

Example: Charlotte NC requires its school board to Example: Charlotte, NC requires its school board to consider the socioeconomic diversity of nearby housing and the availability of public transit lines decisions about where to build schools.

This criteria could conceivably include consideration of neighborhood racial compositions.neighborhood racial compositions.

Other Options: Inter‐District Schoolsp

Interdistrict magnet schools are one of the remedies that gConnecticut adopted in response to a state Supreme Court ruling that the state desegregate schools in the Hartford region. a o d eg o . Students are chosen from a lottery of applicants from both

Hartford and suburban districts with preference given to siblings of students already attending the school. siblings of students already attending the school.

Inter‐district transfers or the development of inter‐district magnet schools could be a means of alleviating racial isolation and increasing educational performance. racial isolation and increasing educational performance.

Other Options: City‐Suburban Transfersp y

St. Louis operates a city‐suburban transfer program, originally implemented in the early 1980s under court order and continued under voluntary terms since 1999. Recently, the participating districts extended the program through at least 2013‐14.

At its peak nearly half of St Louis children were participating At its peak, nearly half of St. Louis children were participating in one of the interdistrict programs. St. Louis suburban districts were required to participate and to accept enough St. Louis t d t t t t t f i it tstudents to meet targets for minority percentage.

The state initially bore the costs of the program (i.e., y p g ( ,transportation) but since 1999, the programs have been funded through a voter‐approved tax increase.

C l di Th htConcluding Thoughts57

Opting for Diversityp g y58

A Gallup poll in 1999 indicated that 59% of respondents p p 999 59 pthought we should do more to integrate schools. This number was only 37% in 1988.

In one poll of public school parents, results indicated that 67% would select a “good diverse school” over a “outstanding homogenous school” (26%).

Source: Divided We Fail: Coming Together through Public School Choice (2002)

Democratic Implicationsp59

Segregation makes it very difficult to develop Segregation makes it very difficult to develop effective citizens and social cohesion.

Bringing together students from different backgrounds should remain a central objective backgrounds should remain a central objective of American education.

In a globalizing world, if we fail at this, our country fails.country fails.

Questions for DiscussionQuestions for Discussion60

How does your school/district stand with respect to true integration?

What barriers in achieving true integration does your What barriers in achieving true integration does your school/district face?

What practical changes can be made at the classroom What practical changes can be made at the classroom level to encourage true integration?

What support can the district provide to reach this goal?

Do you have any success stories/advice to share that may Do you have any success stories/advice to share that may help others?

Minneapolis Public School System (MPS) 61

Students leaving for charter schoolsStude ts ea g o c a te sc oo s

Increasingly segregated by race, socioeconomic status

Two other interdistrict integration programs in East Two other interdistrict integration programs in East, Nortwest metro areas

Reorganizing under Changing School Options Plan Boundary changes, school closings, program changes

Intradistrict choice program to minimize racial/economic isolation

Moving forwardMoving forward62

Surveying institutions/individuals to determine y g /who is working on integration in the district

Looking at the ways integration has been used by different constituencies

Messaging and framing around the meaning of true i t tiintegration

Training that builds on the framing and messaging workwork Using this for parents, elected community leaders, activists to promote true integrationp g

Linking housing to education

www.KirwanInstitute.org

www.race‐talk.org

Kirwan Instituteon:on:

www.Transforming-Race.org

true integration: strengthening commitment to collaboratively identify inter-district district best...

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