In general, controlled school choice policies that aim to integrate schools along the lines of race or ethnicity and socioeconomic status are most often successful in achieving that goal. Unregulated systems of school choice, however, tend to exacerbate school segregation (Cobb & Glass, 2009). This research brief summarizes research about…

The benefits of attending diverse schools accrue to children from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. The benefits include, but are not limited to, higher academic achievement. These gains continue into adulthood, leading to higher levels of social cohesion and civic engagement; reduced racial prejudice; and less segregation in…

As educators across the country make a valiant effort to meet the needs of their students in response to the coronavirus crisis, the educational impacts of disparities in family resources and school funding are apparent. The crisis also reminds us of the many roles that schools play beyond academics. When students eventually return to school, will…

For years, a negative view held by many local realtors about the quality of schools in California's Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) remained largely unchallenged, and these negative attitudes effectively discouraged new residents from considering PUSD as a viable option for their children's education. PUSD has stabilized over time from its…

The National Coalition on School Diversity has updated this review of federal support for school integration during the tenures of Secretaries Arne Duncan and John King, who both served during the Obama Administration. While much remains to be done, the Obama Administration has made concrete progress on school integration policy. This overview…

Montgomery Count Public School (MCPS) has experienced substantial demographic change since magnet and special academic programs began in the 1970s. MCPS is experiencing tremendous growth of approximately 2,500 students per year, with the fastest growing segment of students being Latino. Similar to many other districts that created magnet programs…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the latest reauthorization of the country's premier K-12 education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Under ESSA state education agencies (SEAs), along with local education agencies (LEAs) and the communities they serve assume significant new responsibilities, ranging from the formulation of…

Some sixty years after the 1954 "Brown" decision declared separate schooling inherently unequal, America's student population is much larger and more demographically diverse. For many decades court mandated desegregation plans were implemented, but today public schools are again largely segregated by race, ethnicity, and family…

In 2009, Congress allocated $2.5 million for a competitive federal grant program, "Technical Assistance for Student Assignment Plans" (TASAP), that aimed to increase diversity in public schools, but which had only limited success. The Obama Administration's "Stronger Together" 2017 budget proposal (and the accompanying Stronger…

Nearly six decades of multi-disciplinary social science evidence points to important academic, social and civic benefits for low income students of color who attend high quality, diverse schools. Research briefs highlighting key studies that document these beneficial outcomes are summarized in prior "Research Briefs" in this series (see…

This policy brief addresses several key provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that provide policy support and funding to states and localities seeking to deconcentrate poverty and reduce racial isolation in schools. These "choice" programs which include the Magnet Schools Assistance Program and the Voluntary School…

The Administration's "Blueprint For Reform," and FY 2011 budget proposal set forth an education agenda that would make the expansion of charter schools a cornerstone of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Likewise, HR 4330 would promote charter schools as a central catalyst for education reform. Without…

Today, public schoolchildren are more racially isolated than at any time in the past four decades. And, racially isolated schools are overwhelmingly high-poverty schools: indeed nine out of ten of highly segregated schools serving African-American and Latino students are schools of concentrated poverty. With rare exception, racially isolated,…

Given the common practice of assigning students to neighborhood schools, any serious hope of integrating America's public education system requires the consideration of not only educational policies and practices, but also the demography of neighborhoods and the housing policies that contribute to residential integration or segregation. Most…

The November 13, 2009 Conference of the National Coalition on School Diversity brought together more than 300 people from across the nation. This included parents, teachers, school administrators, local and state elected leaders, long time civil rights advocates, community organizers, and government officials. Participants engaged in a…