Shows
The Integrated Schools PodcastUsing Stories to Inspire ChangeWhat happens when over 600 educators, students, organizers, and advocates gather in community to center racial equity and storytelling? We found out at this year’s Color of Education Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina.In this episode, Andrew takes us inside the summit—hosted by the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity—to hear voices from across the state and country. From keynote speeches to hallway conversations, we witness the power of stories to connect, inspire, and catalyze change.We hear from Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith, who set the tone with vulnerability, legacy, and a call to co...
2025-11-0559 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastRaising Antiracist Kids We’re sharing a special crossover: Dr. Val and Andrew join Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs and Adam Jacobs, co-hosts of the Raising Antiracist Kids podcast, to talk about parents as partners in building antiracist school communities. We dig into why relationships—especially across lines of race and class—are core to any multiracial democracy, what it looks like for White families to show up without centering themselves, and how we nurture brave, durable school communities together. Along the way, we sit with discomfort, model grace, and keep our eyes on the long game—this is a marathon relay, and we each carry th...
2025-10-2247 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastSeason 12 Kick Off: What Now?As we launch Season 12 of the podcast, Dr. Val and Andrew reflect on the start of the school year. With big personal transitions, and the country in a state of deep uncertainty, we ask, what now? How can we acknowledge the current state of eduction and find ways to act for justice.LINKS:Parents as Partners: Building Antiracist School Communities - Dr. Val and Andrew on the Raising Antiracist Kids PodcastBig, Beautiful Monstrosity . . . And a call to action - Blog post from this summer about the budget bill creating a national voucher program.Vi...
2025-09-2431 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastSchools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American RacismPublic education is touted as the bedrock of democracy, a leveler of playing fields, and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens. And while that vision is powerful, Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues that it was never intended to be those things for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure. She joins us to discuss these thre...
2025-03-191h 04
The Integrated Schools PodcastLies and Moral Deficiencies: Greg Jarrell on Whiteness"To be White is, is to be raised on lies. Lies that are passed down, generationally that a lot of White folks don't always know that they're passing down." - Greg Jarrell Our guest today, Greg Jarrell is an ordained minister, a cultural organizer and the author of Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods. Through many years of building community while engaging in anti-racist learning, he has come to realize that he also has a stake in ending White supremacy, advancing racial justice, and building loving, multi-racial communities. He joins us to discuss the...
2025-03-0557 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastMicro Activism: Making a Difference One Step at a Time Omkari Williams believes deeply in the power of people to change their environments - that through the power of the human spirit, and small, concrete actions, anything is possible, and that true changes requires all types of people. Her recent book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World Without A Bullhorn, is a testament to this idea. In it, she lays out four activist archetypes - The Headliner, The Producer, The Organizer, and The Indispensable. All movements need all four types of activists, and everyone can find themselves in one or more of the arc...
2025-02-1947 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastGratitude and Validation: One Family's Journey Through Integrated Schools Every parent and caregiver wants a crystal ball. We want to see how the choices we make for our kids, from screen time to activities to where they go to school, will impact them when they're older. Choosing an integrating school can feel like a risky choice, and even if we believe that it is the right choice, both for our kids, and our community, it's easy for doubt to creep in.Susan, a White mom in Lancaster, PA, and her husband, made that choice for their son, Elias in kindergarten. When he was 15, he was at a tr...
2025-01-221h 00
The Integrated Schools PodcastReflections on the 2024 ElectionIn the wake of the election results, Dr. Val and Andrew sit down to reflect on what it means for ourselves, for the Integrated Schools movement, and for the institution of public education. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowi...
2024-11-1330 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastDeny, Defund, Divert: Janel George on Race and Justice in EducationJanel George, a Georgetown Law professor, who explores race and justice in education, recently wrote a paper that moved us here at Integrated Schools. Called "Deny, Defund, and Divert: The Law and American Miseducation", the piece outlines historical and modern systemic educational inequalities faced by Black communities, linked to legislative actions and adaptations of White supremacy. She joins us to talk about legislative lawyering, the importance of community engagement when making public policy, and the ongoing role of systemic racism in our legal and education systems. Ms. George shares her vision for a racially just education system, a...
2024-10-0950 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastSeason 11 Kickoff: RecommittedWe're back!! We hope you had a wonderful summer! We're excited to be back in your feeds as a new school year gets underway. As we kick off season 11 of the podcast, we are recommitting to the mission and vision of Integrated Schools, and using the podcast as a platform to invite you in to the conversation.Mission: Integrated Schools prepares families with racial or economic privilege to commit to integrating our children, driving new narratives about education, and advocating for justice in our public schools.Vision: Integrated Schools envisions a racially and socioeconomically integrated public school system whe...
2024-09-2526 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastReflections On Season 10Nineteen episodes later, Season 10 comes to an end, and we are reflecting on an incredible season. Our themes for the season were the importance of public schools, the power of storytelling, the importance of community, and stamina, and we had 19 incredible episodes going deep on all of those themes, and more. Plus, we had our first ever live show!
Thanks to everyone who makes the Integrated Schools work possible, from our Board of Directors, to our chapter and network contacts, our leadership team, and bookclub moderators, we are so grateful to all of you. Special thanks to Darci and Jennifer for help...
2024-06-1234 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastThe 70th Anniversary of Brown v Board - Do It Live!Dreams really do come true . . . We have wanted to do a live show for quite some time, and finally had the opportunity thanks to The National Coalition for School Diversity, The Century Foundation, and the American Institutes for Research,who invited us to facilitate their event marking the 70th anniversary of Brown v Board. Hosted at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, on the Oprah Winfrey Stage, we were honored to facilitate three panel discussions grappling with the challenges we face today in fulfilling the true promise of Brown.
Joined by an amazing group of speakers, all deeply co...
2024-05-291h 21
The Integrated Schools PodcastA Tipping Point for Change 70 Years After Brown v BoardMay 17th, 1954 the Supreme Court handed down its famous decision in the Brown v Board of Education of Topekacase. So much of the work of Integrated Schools is about trying to live into the promises made through that unanimous decision. On May 17th, 1973, a girl was born in Woodbridge, Virginia. That girl, Courtney Everts Mykytyn, would go on to found Integrated Schools in 2015, calling in parents and caregivers with privilege to work towards fulfilling the vision extolled by the court nineteen years to the day before she was born.
Tragically, Courtney was struck by a car and killed on Dec 29th, 2...
2024-05-1720 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastLocal Stories of Desegregation: CharlotteIn 1954’s Brown v Board decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was inherently unequal. However, the Brown II decision a year later said that fixing our separate education system should happen with “all deliberate speed.” The deliberate speed in most places was glacial, leading many local communities to file law suits demanding action. These local desegregation cases happened across the country following similar patterns, but varying due to local contexts. We started with a three-part series on Denver. This is our second deep dive into one of those stories, this time focusing on Charlotte, NC.
In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled in Swann v C...
2024-05-011h 00
The Integrated Schools PodcastRebuilding The Black Educator PipelineIn 2021, 80% of teachers in our country's public schools were White, while just 6% were Black. That same year, 54% of public school students were students of color, and 15% were Black. We also know of the extensive research showing the positive impacts of Black teachers on all kids, but especially on Black kids. However, as we learned last episode from Dr. Leslie Fenwick, we lost over 100,000 Black teachers in the wake of desegregation attempt, and the Black teacher pipeline was crushed through explicit and implicit government action. In 2019, Sharif El-Mekki founded The Center for Black Educator Development to do something about it. With a commitme...
2024-04-1759 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastJim Crow's Pink Slip with Dr. Leslie FenwickSeventeen years after the Brown v Board decision, in 1971, US Senator Walter Mondale chaired a number of Select Committee hearings on Equal Educational Opportunity. One of these hearings focused on what was happening to Black teachers and principals as the country begrudgingly worked to desegregate our schools. The hearing featured testimony and supplemental documentation calling attention to the vast number of Black teachers who were losing their jobs in the Southern, dual-system states. Despite Brown's promise of desegregated schools including faculty and staff in addition to students, districts across the South were finding ways to remove Black teachers and principals, rather t...
2024-04-031h 00
The Integrated Schools PodcastLocal Stories of Desegregation: DENVER (Part 3)PART 3 of 3
In 1954’s Brown v Board decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was inherently unequal. However, the Brown II decision a year later said that fixing our separate education system should happen with “all deliberate speed.” The deliberate speed in most places was glacial, leading many local communities to file law suits demanding action. These local desegregation cases happened across the country following similar patterns, but varying due to local contexts. We are going to dive into several of these local stories in the coming months, and we are starting today with Denver, CO.
In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in favor...
2024-03-2059 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastLocal Stories of Desegregation: DENVER (Part 2)PART 2 of 3
In 1954's Brown v Board decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was inherently unequal. However, the Brown II decision a year later said that fixing our separate education system should happen with "all deliberate speed." The deliberate speed in most places was glacial, leading many local communities to file law suits demanding action. These local desegregation cases happened across the country following similar patterns, but varying due to local contexts. We are going to dive into several of these local stories in the coming months, and we are starting today with Denver, CO.
In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in f...
2024-03-1358 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastLocal Stories of Desegregation: DENVER (Part 1)In 1954's Brown v Board decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was inherently unequal. However, the Brown II decision a year later said that fixing our separate education system should happen with "all deliberate speed." The deliberate speed in most places was glacial, leading many local communities to file law suits demanding action. These local desegregation cases happened across the country following similar patterns, but varying due to local contexts. We are going to dive into several of these local stories in the coming months, and we are starting today with Denver, CO.
In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of t...
2024-03-0634 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastParenting to Create the World We WantWe are fortunate to have many guests whose work is focused on research, policy, and the broader school integration movement. However, we know that most of our listeners are parents and caregivers, and many of our favorite episodes share the perspectives of those raising kids and making decisions about how to show up in schools, in communities, and in the country. Today's conversation with Jon Tobin (and his wife Amanda) is just that - an exploration of how one family continually finds ways to make decisions that reflect their values, that support their kids, and that work to make the wo...
2024-02-2152 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastThe Importance of BelongingThere's a difference between feeling like you belong in a space and that that space belongs to you. That true sense of belonging, of feeling seen and heard and respected in a space, has profound educational impacts. Dr. Shanette Porterhas studied schools that have created that sense of belonging, and found that not only are strictly academic measures improved (test scores, etc), but other benefits come as well. From increased graduation rates, to decreased disciplinary incidents, to increased attendance, schools that focus on creating a sense of belonging do better for the whole child.
Dr. Porter joins us to share some...
2024-02-0748 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastA Conversation with the Assistant Secretary of EducationLocal control of schools is long tradition in the US. The result is a patchwork of over 13,000 local school districts. This creates a challenge for The Federal Department of Education to enact change across the country. Roberto Rodriguez is the Assistant Secretary of Eduction for Planning, Policy, and Evaluation at the US Department of Education, where they recently awarded $10 million of grants through the Fostering Diverse Schools program, a grant designed to supporting voluntary efforts to increase school socioeconomic diversity throughout the country. He joins us to discuss the grant, as well as the Federal government's role in pushing policy...
2024-01-2438 min
The Integrated Schools Podcast2023 In ReviewAs 2023 comes to a close, we just wanted to take a brief moment to reflect on the year, talk about our hopes for 2024, and hear from you! We share listener voice memos, an update on Integrated Schools, including our new board of directors, and tease a few of the episodes coming in the new year!
LINKS:
Blog post about our new board of directors
Send us your voice memos! -http://speakpipe.com/integratedschools
If you'd like to volunteer, send us an email - volunteer@integratedschools.org
Check out our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of...
2023-12-1330 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastICYMI: Teaching Hard HistoryWe were thrilled to have two interns working on the podcast over the past summer. One of them, Jaden González, found an episode of the Teaching Hard History podcast from Learning for Justice that spoke to him, so he joined us to talk about it and play a portion of it. In it, we hear from Dr. Aisha White who has studied how children, especially young children, understand and learn about race. It dispels the myth that children are ever too young to learn about race, and has helpful suggestions for how to have conversations that build a healthy raci...
2023-11-2944 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastTaking Just Action for Integration with Richard and Leah RothsteinLike many of you, we were blown away by Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law for the ways it unveiled institutionalized racial segregation and its lingering impacts on our country. His methodical unmasking of the explicitly racist policies that led to the creation of the suburbs, the wealth gap, educational disparities and more helped expose the idea of "de facto" segregation, or segregation that occurs naturally, as a myth. The ways that we are segregated today were caused by intentional governmental policies, and we have yet to redress the harm caused.
While The Color Law presented compelling stories about how we g...
2023-11-151h 07
The Integrated Schools PodcastManaging an Increasingly Diverse and Unequal Education System with Dr. Erica TurnerOur focus on this show is often on parents and caregivers and the choices we make, from where to send our kids to school, to how we show up in those communities, to how we advocate for our kids and all kids. We have also talked about students and teachers, and national level policies. However, we have not previously spent much time talking about the district level decision makers, from school board members, to superintendents, to central office staff. Due to the decentralized nature of our education system, these leaders have tremendous power to affect change, and often find themselves on...
2023-11-0159 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastThere Goes the Neighborhood with Jade AdiaGentrification sucks . . . yet change is inevitable. We're joined today by Young Adult author, Jade Adia, whose first novel, There Goes The Neighborhood takes place in a fictional neighborhood in South LA being wracked by gentrification. Through a story of friendship, found family, and coming of age, Jade invites us in to a neighborhood deeply worth saving, and three friends who set out to save it in a deeply problematic way. We discuss Jade's personal story and how it led to her writing this novel, and we discuss ways of getting involved and finding connection in our neighborhoods.
LINKS:
There Goes The Nei...
2023-10-1858 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastThe Demands and Promises of Integration with John BlakeThe son of a Black father and a White mother, John Blake grew up in a deeply segregated, Black neighborhood in Baltimore with a great mystery - who was his mom? Until he was 17, all he knew about her was that she was White, her name was Shirley, and her family hated Black people. Meeting her, at age 17, began a journey of racial understanding and changed his life. Mr. Blake has been writing about race and religion as a reporter for over 25 years, and over those years he has come to discover that facts don't change people, relationships do. His rel...
2023-10-041h 06
The Integrated Schools PodcastSeason 10 Kick Off: ReconnectingWe're back!!
After a wonderfully busy summer, we are back with a whole new season and we have some great stuff planned. To kick things off, we're talking about where we find ourselves as this school year starts, and the themes we are focusing on this season. These themes feel relevant in this moment and will guide us through the season. They are:
The importance of public schools
The power of storytelling
The power of proximity and the importance of being in community
Stamina - the importance of finding hope and relationships to sustain the work
We also talk about a v...
2023-09-2038 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastShow Up, Listen, Stay Put, Speak UpFor a long time, we at Integrated Schools encouraged parents to “Show up, shut up, and stay put”. This was a pushback to the ways that White and/or privileged parents often interact with global majority schools. And yet, simply showing up and shutting up, while an important first step, isn’t enough. We have to speak out against the inequities that plague our schools. However, knowing when to speak up, and what to speak up about can be tricky.We’re joined by education consultant and Black parent, Dr. Toutoule Ntoya, and political strategist and White parent, Becky...
2023-03-221h 07
The Integrated Schools PodcastCentering Civil Rights in the Fight for EducationFor many, the words “civil rights” conjure images of the past, focusing on politicians, lawyers, activists. However, our guests today ask us to consider the civil rights implications we face today in the fight for a quality, 21st century education for all kids. Dr. Kia Darling-Hammond was recently commissioned to write about the importance of civil rights in the fight for educational equity, particularly the importance of the data collected by the Civil Rights Data Collection. Through that work, she enlisted her mother, Dr. Linda-Darling-Hammond, to co-author a new book, The Civil Rights Road to Deeper Learning: Five Essentials for Equity...
2023-02-221h 00
The Integrated Schools PodcastICYMI: Teaching While WhiteWhile we’re on break, we wanted to bring you an episode from the Teaching While White podcast that we really enjoyed. We’ve been following Teaching While White for a long time, and have appreciated their focus on the role of White teachers in creating equity driven spaces for students. Three quarters of teachers are White, and they have an important role to play in antiracism. In this episode, they speak with Dr. John Diamond, and Dr. Amanda Lewis about their book Despite the Best Intentions. We had Dr. Lewis on the podcast several years ago on our Brown v. Boar...
2023-01-1156 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastCathryn and the SaviorsSchool integration can be a powerful force for improving schools for all kids, but what is it like to be in a school community when newly arriving parents set out “save” your school? When the “nice White parents” arrive to remake the school in their image of what a “good” school should be? When the “haves” try to take over from the “have nots”?We’re joined by Cathryn, a low-income parent from Los Angeles, who witnessed the arrival of well meaning and well resourced parents into the school where her 3 kids attended. She shares the harm caused, as well as how...
2022-11-161h 04
The Integrated Schools PodcastWhat's up with the suburbs?: Organizing, Building Relationships, and VotingDr. Jasmine Clark is a microbiologist by training, but in the wake of the 2016 election, as she says, she went from a scientist to a mad scientist. She felt called to get involved, first with the Atlanta March for Science, and then to actually run for office. As the first Black woman elected to represent a solidly suburban house district in Georgia, her perspective on the ways the suburbs are changing is invaluable. She joins us to discuss the disconnect between the mostly White vision of the suburbs baked into popular conception, and the reality of our suburbs today.
2022-11-0243 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBack to School Transitions - Season 9 Kick Off!We’re back!! Kicking off Season 9 with a conversation between Val and Andrew about transitions.We have just transitioned back to school, and this year feels the most “normal” in quite some time. Additionally, we both have kids who have transitioned to new schools, including the transition to middle school for Andrew’s oldest, and high school for Val’s oldest. We reflect on new forms of parent engagement in these new schools, how we are thinking about empowering our kids to make their own choices while still upholding our family values, and the importance of continuing conversatio...
2022-09-2854 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastParenting to Win: Who Pays for the Helicopter? (FROM 2019)FROM 2019Intensive Parenting – helicopter, lawnmower, snowplow, free-range – is often pursued by White and privileged parents as a way to protect kids from failure and to ensure that they end up on the “winning” side of the vast economic inequality in our country. However, the ways that White and privileged parenting norms impact entire school communities often end up perpetuating existing disparities.We’re joined by Dr. Jessica Calarco, Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, who studies inequity in family life and education. Her recent book, Negotiating Opportunity: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School, highlig...
2022-08-2452 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBetween We and They - Part 5 (Re-Release)FROM 2019: Beth is a mom of two grappling with race, parenting and her own privilege in America. Looking back over the past year, we follow Beth as she learns how the choices she makes for her daughters’ schooling shapes how she lives in her city… where she belongs, who she calls “WE.”Part 5 finds Beth starting her second year at the school across the interstate. Meanwhile, her district, like many across the country, is in the midst of some upheaval – declining enrollment, school closures, consolidation. Being a part of the new school community has allowed Beth a different v...
2022-08-0351 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBetween We and They - Part 4 (Re-Release)FROM 2019: Beth is a mom of two grappling with race, parenting and her own privilege in America. Looking back over the past year, we follow Beth as she learns how the choices she makes for her daughters’ schooling shapes how she lives in her city… where she belongs, who she calls “WE.”Beth and her daughters reflect back on the year at their new school — the challenges, the differences, the joys. The transitions may not have been easy, but they all have felt a personal growth… and are learning about different ways to be.Let us know what...
2022-07-2734 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBetween We and They - Part 3 (Re-Release)FROM 2019: Beth is a mom of two grappling with race, parenting and her own privilege in America. Looking back over the past year, we follow Beth as she learns how the choices she makes for her daughters’ schooling shapes how she lives in her city… where she belongs, who she calls “WE.”In part 3, we look back at a year that has been transformative for Beth — but not necessarily in the ways she expected. From thinking about her role in the PTA, to her racial identity, to how she relates to her former school community, Beth finds herself ver...
2022-07-2025 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBetween We and They - Part 2 (Re-Release)FROM 2019: Beth is a mom of two grappling with race, parenting and her own privilege in America. Looking back over the past year, we follow Beth as she learns how the choices she makes for her daughters’ schooling shapes how she lives in her city… where she belongs, who she calls “WE.”In part 2, we find Beth two months into the school year grappling with the differences between the new school and the former one, trying to make sense of how she and her family fit into these two communities.Let us know what you think of...
2022-07-1333 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBetween We and They - Part 1 (Re-Release)FROM 2019: Beth is a mom of two grappling with race, parenting and her own privilege in America. Looking back over the past year, we follow Beth as she learns how the choices she makes for her daughters’ schooling shapes how she lives in her city… where she belongs, who she calls “WE.”In Part 1 – Something feels very wrong… Beth wonders about her choice to send her two kids to the highly sought after school in her neighborhood. What does it mean for one family to make a different kind of decision?Let us know what you think of...
2022-07-0632 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastRace, Class, and Power in Our Schools: Mark and Max from School ColorsLargely considered to be one of the most diverse places in the world, Queens is heralded by its residents for the multitudes of ethnicities, languages, cultures and ways of life that exist there. But diversity isn’t the whole story, especially not in District 28.Mark and Max are back with Season 2 of School Colors. Season 1 was set in Central Brooklyn and focused on gentrification, Black self determination, and dug deep into the history of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Season 2 finds Mark and Max in Queens and School District 28, a district with a very distinct North side and South side- the furthe...
2022-06-241h 01
The Integrated Schools PodcastReflections on Season 7As Season 7 comes to close, Val and Andrew reflect on 17 episodes and share our most valuable takeaways and thoughts from this season, then we get into some juicy listener questions, as well as some announcements! Spoiler alert! Val has agreed to return for Season 8!!As we reflect on the season, we have to take a moment to say thank you to a bunch of people who have made this season possible. First of all, all of our guests, who have shared their research, their stories, and their personal reflections. We are humbled to be in conversation with yo...
2022-05-2536 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastAnti-CRT, Book Bans, and A Call to HEALWhen the backlash against “CRT” started, we thought it would blow over. It felt as though the attacks were in such bad faith that they didn’t even deserve a response. With nearly 35 states at least considering some type of classroom censorship bill, clearly, we were wrong. And yet, the question of what to do about it felt daunting to take on. And then, we found HEAL Together, an initiative from Race Forward.H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action & Leadership) Together, is building a movement of students, educators, and parents in school districts across the United States who beli...
2022-05-1158 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastExamining Anti-Blackness: A Multiracial Parent RoundtableSome of the most meaningful episodes we record for this show are the conversations we have with parents and caregivers reflecting on the choices they make for their kids and their own learning journeys. Our last episode with Dr. Chantal Hailey examined the role of anti-Black racism in school preferences across racial identities. One of the themes was the many ways that anti-Blackness shows up in White communities, but also in communities of color. We deeply believe in the power of multiracial dialog and so thought we would pair that episode with a conversation with a multiracial group of parent...
2022-04-271h 03
The Integrated Schools PodcastUnpacking the Racial Hierarchy in School ChoicesDr. Chantal A. Hailey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research is at the intersections of race and ethnicity, stratification, urban sociology, education, and criminology. She is particularly interested in how micro decision-making contributes to larger macro segregation and stratification patterns and how racism creates, sustains, and exacerbates racial, educational, and socioeconomic inequality.Her recent paper, Racial Preferences for Schools: Evidence from an Experiment with White, Black, Latinx, and Asian Parents and Students uses the New York City High School Admissions Process as a case study to un...
2022-04-131h 07
The Integrated Schools PodcastThe Debrief: Carol Anderson on White RageLast episode, Carol Anderson on White Rage, was a lot, so we’re taking today’s episode to discuss.LINKS:White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Nation’s DivideWe Are Not Yet Equal – a young readers version of White RageOne Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our DemocracyThe Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America.Eye’s Off The Prize – Dr. Anderson’s 2003 book on the shift from a fight for human rights to civil rights at the NAACPUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local books...
2022-03-3031 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastA Framework for Antiracist EducationFounded in 2021, the Center for Antiracist Education’s (CARE) mission is to equip antiracist educators with the knowledge and curriculum to create schools and classrooms that push back on the destructive legacy of racism. Our co-host Val, serves as their academic director in her day job.They recently released a framework for antiracist education that provides teachers and school leaders with concrete, actionable steps to take in their journey towards being antiracist. These steps are organized by the five CARE Principles – the core areas that CARE believes require attention in order to move towards antiracism. They are:Affirm the di...
2022-03-0254 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastAn Overdue Reckoning on Indigenous EducationWe keep a running list of ideas for episodes – topics to cover, guests we’d like to interview, conversations with parents we’d like to have – and near the top of that list, for far longer than we’d care to admit, has been a conversation about Native and Indigenous education. Finding the right voices to tell the right stories is always a challenge, but, if we’re being honest, it felt somehow acceptable that we hadn’t gotten to it yet.The conversation we haver to share today completely changed that for us, and is a great opportun...
2022-02-161h 03
The Integrated Schools PodcastYear End: Listener QuestionsListeners regularly reach out with questions – things that they are seeing in their own neighborhoods, things that we haven’t addressed, but should, etc. For the final episode of 2021, we thought we’d answer as many as we could. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. If we didn’t get to your question, or if there is something else on your mind, let us know so we can include it in a future “mailbag” episode – hello@integratedschools.org.As we enter the holiday season and folks are thinking about year-end giving, we’d like to ask for your sup...
2021-12-1554 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastTeacher Check-In RevisitedBack in April of 2020 we had a conversation with two teachers, Kara in the Minneapolis area, and Zoe in Philadelphia. They shared their struggles with shifting to remote school, trying to reach their students to provide devices, hot spots, and food, and the challenge of supporting the students with the greatest needs through the early days of the COVID crisis.Today, it’s easy for parents to feel like things are almost back to normal in schools. However, in many ways, teachers are feeling the cost of the crisis more acutely now than at any point in th...
2021-12-0149 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastMoving and Choosing A SchoolThe very first episode of the Integrated Schools Podcast featured a conversation between our late founder, Courtney Mykytyn, and two mothers who were early in their journeys toward anti-racist school integration. Since then, Anna and Sarah have continued to be influential members of the Integrated Schools community, and both found themselves moving over the past 18 months. While both of their families had moved in the past, this was the first time they engaged in that process with a deep commitment to anti-racist school integration.They share their process, and the challenges they faced, as they grappled with what...
2021-10-0659 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastNew Season, New Perspectives . . . New Co-Host!!In 2016, Val Brown recognized a silence in the education community regarding issues of race, and a gap in learning opportunities for educators. In response she founded #ClearTheAir, a platform for educators to learn about the intersections of history, racism, and education.In 2019, she reached out to Integrated Schools to see if we might walk this road towards anti-racist school integration together. However, she had a question – as a Black mom, she asked, “do I belong at Integrated Schools? Is there a place for me?”This is a question we have been wrestling with internally for some time. ...
2021-09-2232 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBvB@67- Greg and Carol RevisitedIn the fifth episode in our Brown v. Board at 67: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we step away from scholarship to take a moment to listen. I Hope They Hear it in Our Voices is a conversation with two Black parents who live in different parts of the U.S. and who have had very different — yet very similar — school experiences. Greg and Carol tell us a lot about how far we have come since Brown v. Board, about how much work we still have to do, and the very real costs of “access to resources”. With deep gratitude fo...
2021-05-1453 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBvB@67 - David Hinojosa RevistedFor the fourth episode in our Brown v. Board at 67: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we talk with Civil Rights attorney David Hinojosa. School segregation is too often painted as binary issue between Black and White people; learning other histories shows that this is far from true. Complicating the picture of what preceded and came as a result of Brown v. Board, Mr. Hinojosa shares a history lesson on the segregation of Latinx communities across the US since the late 1800s. We discuss the politics of race and language, the importance of shared experiences and the deep fights for...
2021-05-1343 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBvB@67 - Amanda Lewis RevisitedDr. Amanda Lewis (Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools, co-authored with John Diamond) joins us for this third episode of our Brown v. Board at 67: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series. Dr. Lewis’s research takes her to a school that is desegregated on paper but segregated within the building. It is a school, like many, with “race neutral” policies that hide the very real racialized practices in the building. Add to that a dose of opportunity hoarding, and equitable policies become very difficult to institute. Brown v. Board focused on desegregating schools rather than integr...
2021-05-1245 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBvB@67 - Noliwe Rooks RevisitedFor the second episode in our Brown v. Board at 67: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we talk with Dr. Noliwe Rooks (Cornell). Her book, Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education, as well as some of her more recent research around the pushback to school desegregation from communities of color and the decimation of the Black teaching corps following Brown v. Board, provide context in which to understand the full range of outcomes from the court decision.While Dr. Rucker Johnson, in part 1, showed us some of the many benefits of desegregation, Dr. Rooks...
2021-05-1137 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBvB@67 - Rucker Johnson RevisitedAs we approach the 67th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), we are revisiting our series looking at the stories we tell ourselves about Brown v. Board. The way we understand this case and its legacies do the work of making sense of our past and mapping out our future.In this first episode, we are joined by Dr. Rucker Johnson (UC Berkeley). Dr. Johnson shares some of the research and findings in his book, Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works. Using a longitudinal study of the children and grand...
2021-05-1035 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastThe Power of Privilege: WPLN's The PromiseSeason 2 of WPLN’s The Promise takes on one of the contentious topics in america, what has been deemed as the “Great Equalizer”, but more and more feels like the Greate Divider: public eductaion.In May of 1963, President Kennedy addressed the graduates of Vanderbilt University (a full year before they would admit their first Black student), and said, “I speak to you … not of your rights as Americans, but of your responsibilities… They do not rest with equal weight upon the shoulders of all. For, of those to whom much is given, much is required.”More than 55 years...
2021-03-031h 03
The Integrated Schools PodcastEPIC's "Nothing About Us": Youth Theater on IntegrationThe Epic NEXT Program tasks 15-20 high school students with researching, writing, and performing a play about a social issue, usually related to educational justice. The idea, is that those most impacted by the system, are those most likely to come up with meaningful solutions, and that theater can be used as tool for social change.Back in 2018, New York Appleseed, an advocacy organization fighting for integrated schools and communities, commissioned EPIC to create a show about school segregation. The result was Nothing About Us, a 30 minute stage play written and performed by high school students.Th...
2021-02-171h 05
The Integrated Schools PodcastEquity According to Angela Glover BlackwellFor Angela Glover Blackwell, a brief stint at the Rockefeller Foundation brought to light a fundamental difference in how we think about driving positive change, and fighting for justice abroad versus here at home. The international focus was on equity – what are the outcomes we hope to achieve, and how do we back into the inputs required? The national focus was on equality – how do we make sure that everyone gets the same inputs to start with.Through the work of her organization, PolicyLink, she has spent the past 20 years pushing for equity to be our North Star. Call...
2020-09-1658 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastICYMI: School ColorsBrooklyn Deep is the media arm of The Brooklyn Movement Center, a Black-led, membership-based organization of primarily low-to-moderate income Central Brooklyn residents. They work to build power and pursue self-determination in Bedford-Stuyvesant & Crown Heights by nurturing local leadership, waging campaigns and winning concrete improvements in people’s lives.In 2019, Brooklyn Deep released an 8-part podcast documentary called School Colors. Spanning 150 years of history, it looks at race, class and power through the schools of Bedford-Stuyvesant. It features well researched history, compelling story telling, and provides a nuanced look at many of the educational debates happening in cities today...
2020-09-021h 02The Integrated Schools PodcastRevisiting Not In My Suburbs: Milliken v Bradley @46July 25th will mark the 46th anniversary of the SCOTUS ruling on the Milliken v. Bradley case. Today, we revisit our episode from a year ago about this important and under-appreciated case. Joined by Michelle Adams, Constitutional Law Professor at Cardozo School of Law, who is writing Soul Force: Detroit, The Supreme Court, and the Epic Battle for Racial Justice in America, we discuss the case and its implications for today.Based in Detroit, the Milliken decision functionally halted the promise of Brown v Board of Education at the city limits, allowing all-White suburbs (created through policies like re...
2020-07-2247 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastIntegrateNYC: Youth Voice for Real IntegrationWe’re joined by Karla and Jedidah – two high school students in New York City who are leaders at IntegrateNYC. This youth led organization fights for integration and equity in all NYC schools. From protest to policy, they center student voice because students are the ones most directly impacted by the segregation, and the ones with the most at stake.Recognizing that desegregation alone isn’t enough to solve for equity, IntegrateNYC developed the 5 Rs of real integration. They are:Race and EnrollmentResourcesRelationshipsRestorative JusticeRepresentation of teachers and staffThey argue that schools need to address all 5 Rs t...
2020-07-0939 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastRaising White Kids with Jennifer HarveyThe Reverend, Dr. Jennifer Harvey is a parent, a writer, an educator, and an activist. Her 2018 book Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America offers age-appropriate insights for teaching children how to address racism when they encounter it and tackles tough questions about how to help white kids be mindful of racial relations while understanding their own identity and the role they can play for justice.We discuss the book, but also her personal journey from elementary school, where she was bussed under a court ordered desegregation plan to a predominately Black school, to he...
2020-05-2158 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastBrown v Board at 66 (BONUS)Last year, leading up the 65th anniversary, we put together a 6 part mini-series called “The Stories We Tell Ourselves – Moving From Desegregation to Integration”. It is in no way a comprehensive history, but hopefully it complicates the stories we tell about Brown v Board. These stories and others about our past desegregation efforts have a huge impact on how we interact with school today, Our hope is that a more honest assessment of the history can be a first step towards real integration.LINKS:Part 1 – With Rucker Johnson, author of Children Of The Dream: Why School Integration Wo...
2020-05-1703 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastCOVID-19: Matt Gonzales on EquityMatt Gonzales is an educational justice advocate and Director of the Integration and Innovation Initiative at the NYU Metro Center. We are incredibly fortunate to have him as a member of the Integrated Schools Advisory Board. We had a chance to sit down with Matt this week and talk to him about the implications of COVID-19, what building equity could look like now and in the future, and why anti-racist integration matters now more than ever.LINKS:Grading for Equity Recommendations – inspired by Joe Feldman and his bookIntegrateNYC with the 5Rs of Real IntegrationPaulo Friere – Author of Pedagogy of th...
2020-05-1351 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastCOVID-19: Teacher Check-InTeaching with an equity mindset is a challenge in the best of times, but this crisis has added another layer of challenge to an already daunting task. We’re joined by two high school teachers – Zoe from Philadelphia, and Kara from Minneapolis. They discuss the challenges of moving to online learning while trying to keep equity at the forefront.We discuss the ways that White and/or privileged parents can be helpful in this moment, and how we might think about what comes when this is all over.LINKS: For more on Zoe’s school –...
2020-04-2255 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastCOVID-19: Finding Community in IsolationGiven the reality of social distancing, how do we reconcile a desire for educational justice, a drive for anti-racist education, with the fact that we’re stuck at home trying, or maybe not, to educate our kids in vastly inequitable circumstances. This is not a How-To guide, but a conversation about trying to live our values in challenging times. Garrett Bucks joins us, along with Anna, to talk through how we are thinking about this moment, for ourselves, our kids, and our communities. What do we want our kids to remember from this time, and how can we focus our a...
2020-04-0350 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastAll I Want for Christmas is 3.5%The work of creating a multiracial democracy – a democracy where power is truly shared, and equity is real – can feel overwhelming, depressing, futile even. But what if the tipping point for creating lasting change is only 3.5%? Dr. Chenoweth (Harvard University) found that no civil resistance campaign across the globe over the last century “failed after they had achieved the active and sustained participation of just 3.5% of the population.”Now we are at a unique historical moment to harness changing mindsets, to build a 3.5% of actively engaged white and/or privileged parents practicing antiracist integration.Join our Patre...
2019-12-1821 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastGifts We Didn't Expect: Family, Faith, and IntegrationAlbert is a Taiwanese American father of three from Oakland, CA. His parents immigrated to the United States to give him “best” education they could. As he came to terms with the school options his privilege afforded him, he found himself in crisis. How to honor his family and all they sacrificed, while also honoring the ways his faith called him to justice – called him to do something about the broken systems we live in.He shares his journey through a broadening definition of family, a conviction that love comes close, that kids are resilient, and that all co...
2019-12-1152 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastParenting to Win: Who Pays for the Helicopter?Intensive Parenting – helicopter, lawnmower, snowplow, free-range – is often pursued by white and privileged parents as a way to protect kids from failure and to ensure that they end up on the “winning” side of the vast economic inequality in our country. However, the ways that white and privileged parenting norms impact entire school communities often end up perpetuating existing disparities.We’re joined by Dr. Jessica Calarco, Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, who studies inequity in family life and education. Her recent book, Negotiating Opportunity: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School, highlights many of the challenge...
2019-11-2752 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastGentrification and School SegregationWe’re joined by Dr. Kfir Mordechay, Assistant Professor at Pepperdine University and a research fellow at the UCLA Civil Rights Project to talk about gentrification and school segregation. This kick of to season 5 is a return to our usual podcast format of casual conversations, and this is one we’ve been wanting to tackle for quite some time. Gentrification comes up in discussions of school segregation all the time and we are fortunate to have Dr. Mordechay to help us think about the possibilities and pitfalls.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and oth...
2019-11-1345 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastBusing: The Terms of the Debate (BONUS)We’re joined by Matt Delmont. He’s the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College, and he wrote the book on busing – 2016’s Why Busing Failed: Race, Media, and the National Resistance to School Desegregation. Given the prominence “busing” has had in discussions about school desegregation, particularly in light of the exchange between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden at a recent democratic presidential primary debate, we thought we’d take a break from taking a break, and talk about “busing”.LINKS:–Why Busing Failed: Race, Media, and the National Resistance to School Desegregation – Dr. Delm...
2019-07-1742 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastICYMI: Seeing White (BONUS)The Duke Center for Documentary Studies produces as podcast called Scene On Radio. From February to August of 2017, they released a 14 part series called Seeing White. Many discussions of race focus on anyone who isn’t White, leaving Whiteness as the default, or the norm. This series, as they say, turns the lens around to look at Whiteness directly – what does it mean? where did it come from?We are thrilled to present some highlights from their series here, with some additional discussion of how these topics relate more directly to school integration. We highly recommend listening to the e...
2019-07-1058 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastICYMI: The Miseducation Podcast (BONUS)While we are off preparing for a new season starting in the fall, we wanted to share a few of our favorite podcasts, so you don’t forget about us. We regularly hear that we should include student voices, and, while we are working on that for a future episode, in the mean time, we’re thrilled to be able to bring you an episode of The Miseducation Podcast. This is a student driven podcast from New York City, and we’ve been blown away by the insight these students have on the issues of segregation.Huge thanks...
2019-06-2628 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 23 - Grappling with Brown v. Board (BvB@65)In this final episode of the series Brown v. Board at 65: The Stories We Tell Ourselves, we take some time to grapple with the stories we have heard. Reflecting on what our guests have shared (Dr. Rucker Johnson, Dr. Noliwe Rooks, Dr. Amanda Lewis, David Hinojosa, Greg and Carol), we talk with Anna about what we have learned and where we go from here. For the path forward, why does it matter to distinguish between desegregation and integration, to decenter Whiteness, and to think about the interactions between policy and cultural shifts?LINKS:Children of the Drea...
2019-05-2250 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 22 - I Hope They Hear It In Our Voices (BvB@65)In the fifth episode in our Brown v. Board at 65: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we step away from scholarship to take a moment to listen. I Hope They Hear it in Our Voices is a conversation with two Black parents who live in different parts of the U.S. and who have had very different -- yet very similar -- school experiences. Greg and Carol tell us a lot about how far we have (not) come since Brown v. Board, about how much work we still have to do, and the very real costs of “access to re...
2019-05-1551 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 21 - Beyond Black and White with David Hinojosa (BvB@65)For the fourth episode in our Brown v. Board at 65: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we talk with Civil Rights attorney David Hinojosa. School segregation is too often painted as binary issue between Black and White people; learning other histories shows that this is far from true. Complicating the picture of what preceded and came as a result of Brown v. Board, David shares a history lesson on the segregation of Latinx communities across the US since the late 1800s. We discuss the politics of race and language, the importance of shared experiences and the deep fights for edu...
2019-05-0849 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp20 - Amanda Lewis on Desegregation Without Integration (BvB@65)Amanda Lewis (Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools, co-authored with John Diamond) joins us for this third episode of our Brown v. Board at 65: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series. Dr. Lewis’s research takes her to a school that is desegregated on paper but segregated within the building. It is a school, like many, with “race neutral” policies that hide the very real racialized practices in the building. Add to that a dose of opportunity hoarding, and equitable policies become very difficult to institute. Brown v. Board focused on desegregating schools rather than integrating...
2019-05-0148 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 19 - Segrenomics, Black Teachers, and Noliwe Rooks (BvB@65)For the second episode in our Brown v. Board at 65: The Stories We Tell Ourselves series, we talk with Dr. Noliwe Rooks (Cornell). Her book, Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education, as well as some of her more recent research around the pushback to school desegregation from communities of color and the decimation of the Black teaching corps following Brown v. Board, provide context in which to understand the full range of outcomes from Brown v Board.While Dr. Johnson, in Ep 18, showed us some of the many benefits of desegregation, Dr. Rooks remind...
2019-04-2447 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 18 - Rucker Johnson and the Grandchildren of Desegregation (BvB@65)As we approach the 65th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), we are pleased to present a special series looking at the stories we tell ourselves about Brown v. Board. The way we understand this case and its legacies do the work of making sense of our past and mapping out our future. With the brilliance of some amazing guests, we unpack some of these popular narratives and the ways in which they have undermined our ability to deal with racial and educational injustice.In this first episode, we are joined by...
2019-04-1845 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 17 - Public Schools, Private MoneyFor the finale of Season 2, we’re joined by Dr. Shelly Arsneault, Professor of Political Science & Public Administration at California State Fullerton, who is collaborating on an upcoming book called Our Kids, Our Money, and Our Schools: The Persistence of Inequality in Public School Finance. We discuss the many ways in which private money is funneled into public schools – which schools get it, what they use it for, and what the impact is on the overall system of public education.From PTAs to booster clubs, to education foundations, we see resources flowing into the schools with the leas...
2019-03-2046 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 16 - Too Bad, Just Fine, and Whiteness CenteredIn this episode we bring Anna back to grapple with a few things that have been on our minds of late. We discuss the David Kirkland episode (Ep. 14 — be sure to listen if you haven’t!) and answer some listener questions. Dr. Kirkland cautioned us around the centering of Whiteness in the work of integration. We dig in to that, as well as discuss the power of language in this work. Taking on a few listener questions, we grapple with whether a school is ever “too bad” and whether our kids being “just fine” is good enough.LINKS:Desp...
2019-03-1347 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 15 - Gifted, Talented and SegregatedDr. Allison Roda (Molloy College) joins us to discuss Gifted and Talented programs and segregation. Gifted programs (sometimes called G/T, GATE, TAG, etc) have long been criticized for serving a disproportionately large percentage of White and/or privileged students. Dr. Roda’s research looks at how access to these programs is often ‘gamed’ by White/privileged families. In this episode, we discuss this research along with the the perceived importance of the label of “gifted” (and the stigmas of not acquiring the label). We talk about the challenges that gifted programs create for educational justice and what Dr. Roda sugges...
2019-03-0640 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 14 - Kirkland on IntegrationA thought leader on educational justice, Dr. David Kirkland (NYU) joins us for a meta discussion around school integration. He shares a powerful vision of integration from a racial justice framework; it is one that is grounded in democratic participation and the sharing of resources and one that involves us all in the deliberation of what counts as knowledge, the language of curriculum, and the fundamental design of education.Dr. Kirkland also encourages us to consider that integration is about fundamentally asking if we can organize our society in a different way, where our differences are seen as...
2019-02-2755 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 13 - Hopes and Hazards of Dual LanguageDual Language programs are exploding in popularity across the country — and particularly among White &/or privileged families in gentrifying communities. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Sofia Chaparro about her research following the establishment of one such program. Providing some overview of Dual Language issues, this conversation looks at the potential for these spaces as well as the ways in which things can go wrong.LINKS:Connor Williams on white families in bilingual schools.The Washington Post on dual language and gentrification.Dr. Chaparro’s ResearchJoin our Patreon to support this work, and connect...
2019-02-2046 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 12 - Whiteness vs Rightness: A Conversation on ColonizingIn this episode we’re joined by Kelly from NYC to talk about how we as white &/or privileged families show up in integrating schools. What does ‘colonizing’ mean in this context and, most importantly, how can we be thoughtful about not centering whiteness? We dig in to some of the ways integration can go sideways because of how integrating parents see things as “right” when they are often just “white” (&/or privileged). And we talk, of course, about nachos.LINKS:Tema Okun on White Supremacy CultureWendy Mogul – The Blessing of a Skinned KneeJoin our Patreon to s...
2019-02-1351 min
The Integrated Schools PodcastEp 11 - White Women and the Politics of White SupremacyProfessor and author, Dr. Elizabeth McRae, discusses her new book - Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy. This is a compelling history of the everyday work that White women have undertaken to promote and reinforce racial segregation in America’s public schools. While legislation dominates the discourse, Dr. McRae reveals the many ways that White women have been segregation’s “constant gardeners”We talk with Dr. McRae about what her research tells us about contemporary school segregation -- and the hope her work gives for it’s dismantling.Use these link...
2019-02-0644 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 10 - Why My Choice Matters: Taking Back the PlaygroundWe’re back! After a break over the holidays, we’re kicking off Season 2 of the Integrated Schools Podcast with a basic question – why does one person’s choice matter? What impact does your choice have for your kid, for your school, and for the system. We’ve got Denise from Santa Fe back, and we try to dig in – does your choice change anything? If so, for whom? Is it integration when we are talking about ONE kid? And if it moves the needle towards integration, why does that even matter?It also brought up something we’ve heard...
2019-01-3045 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 9 - The Only One (Part 2): SMOGLast week we talked about the fear we often hear around your kid being the “Only One” from the perspective of parents with kids who are currently in that position. In this episode, we look at it a little differently. Andrew looks back on his experience as the Only One White kid in his elementary school in a conversation with Erin, who reflects upon her experiences as the Only One Black kid in her schools. The discussion, as adults with the perspective of time, highlights the ways that race impacts that experience, and the ways that having been through that...
2018-12-1942 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 8 - The Only One (Part 1): SMOGThe Smog – is all of the things that we hear and say about schools and parenting that push us towards greater segregation. “I don’t want my kid to be the only one” is one of these. It’s a tricky subject, so we’re going to break it up into two parts. Part 1- today’s episode – is from the perspective of parents with kids who are currently the Only One. It can be challenging to navigate. We talk with Lauren from Pennsylvania about the experience for her, her two kids, and her family. It’s not always easy, but there are...
2018-12-1242 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 7 - Vicky and The SaviorsGood intentions don’t always feel so good. In this episode, we talk with Vicky, a Mexican mom whose kids attend an integrated school in a gentrifying neighborhood. Vicky shares what it feels like to be “saved” by some of the White &/or privileged families at her kids’ schools (spoiler: not so great). Relationships are hard and trust takes time to build. And privilege, especially privilege unexamined, shows up in unexpected places.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Let us know what you thin...
2018-12-0545 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastBONUS - An Update on Integrated SchoolsWe couldn’t pull off a full episode this week, but we did want to update you on all the other things happening at Integrated Schools.The Two Tour Pledge – sign on here.Mapping of how White &/or Privileged Families Interact with School Integration – our video overview.Parent to Parent Program – get connected with someone who is sending their kids to an integrating school.Or, just visit our website.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Let us k...
2018-11-2805 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 6 - The Hidden GemThere are lots of great schools without many White kids, however, when White parents start to integrate a global majority school because they think they've found a hidden gem, it can lead in some troubling directions. Anna from LA (you may remember her from Ep 1) joins us to discuss the problems that arise when we come to integration just looking for a hidden gem. We touch on the narrative around what makes a "good" school, and we discuss how the Hidden Gem story encourages resource hoarding and can pave the way for colonizing.Join our Patreon to s...
2018-11-2133 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 5 - Interview with a SkepticA lifelong activist and 20 year veteran of nonprofit work, Chris Stewart has served as the former Director of Outreach and External Affairs for Education Post, the Executive Director of the African American Leadership Forum (AALF), and an elected member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education where he was radicalized by witnessing the many systemic inequities that hold our children back. He is the current chief executive of the Wayfinder Foundation, and an outspoken critic of many current integration efforts.He and Courtney discuss the many ways that desegregation efforts can be thwarted, and the ways t...
2018-11-1444 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 4 - Sacrificing on the Altar of Social Justice: SMOGThe Smog - is all of the things that we hear and say about schools, often without realizing the ways those things are racialized. “I don’t want to sacrifice my kid on the altar of social justice“ is just one of many. The podcast will occasionally feature smog-conversations; the only way the smog changes is if we engage with these ideas directly.We're joined today by Denise from Santa Fe, who has been a key contributor to this podcast already, and who you'll be hearing more from in future episodes.Join our Patreon to support thi...
2018-11-0822 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 3 - Hagerman and the White KidsProfessor and author, Dr. Margaret Hagerman, discusses her new book - White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege in a Racially Divided America. Dr. Hagerman conducted an ethnography of a community in the mid-west. She spent two years living in a community and interviewing white, wealthy families and their middle school aged children on their ideas about race, education, privilege, etc.We discuss her work, and what it tells us about the importance of the types of environments in which we raise our kids.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and o...
2018-10-3051 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 2 - The Bordon FamilyWe're joined by the Bordon family - Jenny (mom), Scott (dad), and Olivia (10th grade). In choosing a school for their daughters, they started out following the narrative of how people with the privilege of choose a school should go about it. After a conversation with their school district about who has has that privilege and the segregation that results from it, they made a change and sent both of their kids to global majority schools. Many years later, they reflect on that journey and how it has shaped their understanding of race, class, privilege, and education. We're sad...
2018-10-3043 minThe Integrated Schools PodcastEp 1 - Intro to The Integrated Schools PodcastWelcome to the Integrated Schools Podcast – Conversations about race, privilege, education, parenting and schools. This introduction gives an overview of Integrated Schools and what you can expect from this podcast.Courtney from LA, Anna from LA, and Sarah from Houston talk about their experiences choosing integrated schools, why IntegratedSchools.org exists, and the importance of showing up in integrating spaces with humility, and awareness.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Let us know what you think of this episode, sug...
2018-10-3039 min