The Integrated Schools Podcast

 We'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 very exciting event that happened this summer . . . at least it was exciting for your co-hosts, as we met in person for the first time! Our biggest ask for you, in addition to sharing the podcast with others, is to send us your voice memos. Given the theme of the power of storytelling, we are really hoping to feature your stories as much as possible this season. So, whether you have a full story, or just a thought that has been lingering, we want to hear from you! Why do you think public schools are important? How are finding your way into community? How are you struggling? Where do you turn when you need hope or stamina? What else should we be talking about? Send us your ideas - speakpipe.com/integratedschools, or click the "send voicemail" button on the side of our website, or just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us at podcast@integratedschools.org.  Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

 As Season 9 comes to a close, we reflect on some of the amazing conversations we had over the past 16 episodes, and hear from you about what you're grappling with. From the Heather McGhee's episode in the very beginning of the season through Episode 15 on school lunches, we tried to focus on solidarity and elevating voices that have been missing from our conversations.  Cathryn and The Saviors focused on the experience of one low-income parent, The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers focused on our youngest learners, The Intersections of Disability, Race, and Segregation began unpacking the needs of disabled students and caregivers. And, of course, we featured student voice in Between the Lines: An EPIC Comeback. Students are the most directly impacted by our education system, so we lean into to featuring their voice and their perspective whenever possible. Through it all, we leaned into nuance, recognizing that no one has all the answers, and that the best way to know better and do better is through relationships. Lots of thanks for the season: All of our guests who were willing to share their insights, their perspectives, their research, and their values. We are all richer for having heard from you. All of podcast staff who work on transcripts and promotion and offer thought partnership on each and every episode - Anna, Darci, Jennifer, Courtney, Susan, Emily. Thank you! Our friends at Connectd Podcasts for the ongoing support. Check out all their shows, as there are so many important conversations happening on the network. All of our Patreon supporters. Your financial support allows us to keep this podcast going, but even more importantly, your engagement on the Patreon page and participation in happy hours means the world to us. And, most importantly, thank you to all of you who listen, who share, who keep this conversation going. The world is changed one relationship and one conversation at a time, and you all engaging with the conversations we share brings us hope. ACTION STEPS: Share your favorite episode with someone and have a conversation with them about it. Support our work on Patreon Hit the "follow" button in your podcast app to make sure you don't miss an episode.   We'll be back in the fall!!   Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.  

  Do you remember waiting in line at school for square pizza and chocolate milk? This seemingly everyday ritual holds the key to significant and meaningful change within our education system. Today, we delve deep into the fascinating world of The School Lunch Program and its potential for transformative impact. We're joined by Dr. Jennifer Gaddis, an associate professor at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, known for her compelling research on school food and the systems and politics surrounding it. With over 30 million students participating in school meal programs daily, we explore the historical context and the challenges faced by these programs, such as dealing with stigma, shame, and access to quality nutrition. Furthermore, we touch on environmental justice and the farm-to-school program, spotlighting the importance of fostering strong relationships between local communities, farmers, and the education sector. As we tackle labor issues and financial challenges faced by schools in providing scratch cooking options, we also celebrate the inspiring stories of schools and organizations making positive changes in lunch programs across the nation. Ultimately, Dr. Gaddis encourages us all to participate in the school lunch program, as that is the most likely way to create a system that serves all kids, our environment, and food service workers best.  LINKS: Dr. Gaddis's Book - The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need Real Food and Real Jobs in American Public Schools Dr. Gaddis's NYT Op-Ed - Why Are You Still Packing Lunch for Your Kids? Dr. Gaddis in The Washington Post - Cooking School Lunches from Scratch Can Fix Labor and Supply Issues Dr. Gaddis on Problem Areas with Wyatt Cenac Janet Poppendieck - Free For All: Fixing School Food in America Susan Levine - School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America's Favorite Welfare Program Report from 1968 on lunch programs across the country - Their Daily Bread Chef Ann Foundation  Food Corps ACTION STEPS: Talk to your young people about school lunch. What impressions do that have? If they aren't eating it, what barriers are there?  Use the links above to learn more about the school lunch program, and find ways to connect with local advocacy efforts around universal lunch. Find ways to increase your participation in the program, and encourage others to do the same. Even simple steps such as sending a main course, but getting sides, or participation a couple of days a week / month, can have meaningful impacts on the system.  Advocate for food service workers, and more scratch cooking in ALL schools.    Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

 We often talk about school segregation from a racial and /or class perspective, but an equally concerning issue is the segregation of kids based on dis/ability. And while many disabled students are marginalized by our educational system, it is particularly true for students of color. It's an overdue conversation for us on the podcast, and it's an important one, because, as the conversation makes clear, all forms of oppression are linked together, and destroying one will require them all to fall.  We are joined for the conversation by Joyner Emrick, a disabled person with two disabled kids, and Shubha Balabaer, a non-disabled parent to a disabled toddler. They both offer insight and vulnerability about a subject that is often hard to talk about. From the choice for person or identity first language, to the medical vs social model of disability, the conversations lives in the nuance of a complicated topic.  We try to ground ourselves in the disability justice movement and its dedication to dismantling systemic oppression. It is clear that the fight for disability rights is inextricably linked to the fight for social justice and equity for all. LINKS: Sins Invalid's 10 Principals of Disability Justice Shelley Moore's video about "the outside pins" Ableism Enables All Forms of Inequity and Hampers All Liberation Efforts- Truthout Incarceration and Ableism Go Hand in Hand - Truthout Dear Parents Who Want to Keep Their Nonspeaking Children Safe as They Go Out Into the World - Communication First A YouTube Playlist of "Lessons in Liberation" an abolitionist toolkit for preK- 12 education. Shubha's incredible zine about their experience An episode of Prentis Hemphill's Finding our Way podcast called "Reclaiming Ugly" An episode of the Groundings Podcast on ableism More from Shelley Moore on "scaffolding complexity" PBS Educators series, The Circle Makers You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom - Paula Kluth on creating educational spaces that can include everyone A helpful guide to person / identify first language from the NIH A study on identity vs person first language from autism stakeholders Disabled Activist, Imani Barbarin's website Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judy Heumann Dr. Susan Faircloth on our show ACTION STEPS: Normalize asking "What does your body need?" - the answer is never "nothing", but it might be "all of my needs are being met right now". Ask if disabled people are involved in the creation of services, curriculum, and other supports for disabled people. Make use of the resources in these show notes.   Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

 The schools conversation happens everywhere - the playground, work events, even in line at the supermarket. However, it is often focused on K-12 education. The pressures of getting your kid into the "right" school, moving somewhere with "good" schools, and playing the system to gain as much advantage as possible, usually revolve around K-12. However, despite the lack of guaranteed preschool in many places across the country, there are plenty of opportunities for families to make decisions that reflect their values and support their communities even for our youngest learners. In this episode, we dive into the topic of preschool education and the often overlooked issue of segregation. We are joined by Dr. Casey Stockstill, author of the upcoming book False Starts: The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers, to discuss the prevalence and implications of race and class segregation in preschools. The conversation explores our personal experiences and observations, as well as the challenges faced by both children and teachers navigating this complex landscape. Dr. Stockstill highlights the importance of choosing inclusive and diverse preschool environments that align with our values and contribute towards community-building efforts. We discuss the role of Head Start programs in providing better opportunities for children and how they impact early childhood education. The conversation also addresses teacher-to-student relationships, the challenge of finding mixed-income and racially mixed preschools, and the necessity of community-driven initiatives in early childhood education. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Stockstill highlights the implications of segregated preschool environments on future learning thought the K-12 experience. As parents and educators committed to educational equity, we may not always find easy steps or clear answers. Yet, by engaging in such nuanced conversations and making conscious preschool choices, we can play our part in breaking down racial barriers and creating inclusive environments for all children. LINKS: Preorder Dr. Stockstill's book - False Starts: The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers Culture Study interview where we first learned of Dr. Stockstill's work The “Stuff” of Class: How Property Rules in Preschool Reproduce Class Inequality - article by Dr. Stockstill Learn more about Head Start Dr. Brittany Murray on our show - PTA So White Dr. Jessica Calarco - Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School - for more on how the trends we see in preschool show up in future learning environments  Dr. Susan Faircloth on our show - An Overdue Reckoning on Indigenous Education ACTION STEPS: Find ways to support local preschools, even if you aren't directly connected. Support funding increases, universal access, teacher pay increases, etc. for early childhood education. Work with local civil organization to find ways to support enriching educational experiences for all preschool kids.   Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

When you think of school safety, it's hard not to think of school shootings. And there is no question that gun violence in schools is tragic, harrowing, and gut wrenching. It shatters our vision of schools as a sanctuary. And yet, gun violence, while way too common, is still exceedingly rare, and there are many ways that kids are harmed in our schools on a daily basis that don't generate the same attention.  Dr. Meg Caven, a passionate educational researcher, focuses on issues of safety and equity in the educational landscape. With particular attention on school discipline and its impact on racial inequity, Dr. Caven's work highlights the importance of addressing social and emotional safety in addition to physical safety. As a queer-identified individual, she draws from her own experiences of freedom and safety in her educational journey to advocate for a more holistic approach to safety in schools. In this episode, Dr. Caven pushes us beyond the one-dimensional conversation around gun violence in our schools, to consider a broader and more expansive view of what it means to be safe in school. From mental health to emotional health, from protection from bullying and structural violence, from disrupting the school to prison pipeline, she argues that a nuanced, multi-dimensional view of school safety is what is required if we truly care about equity, and want to see schools live up to the ideal of being incubators of democracy.    LINKS: Dr. Caven's article in Kappan The Education Development Center Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's quote about the smog of racism is from Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria Ani DiFranco - To The Teeth News story on a "rapid deploy bullet-proof safe room" for schools  ACTION STEPS: Expand your idea of safety  Talk to the young people and other caregivers in your life about what it means to feel safe at school Don't use "safety" as an excuse to not enroll in a particular school Engage in conversations in your school communities about what I means for kids to feel safe enough to feel free to discover themselves Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We're proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

For 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 social worker and White parent, Becky Boll, both of whom chose local, neighborhood, public schools for their children. We discuss the challenges of advocating for change within the education system and the need to be in community first. We also grapple with balancing advocacy for one's own child while also advocating for all kids, while navigating the school system's differing expectations for parents based on race.  While we don't land on easy steps or clear answers, hopefully the nuanced conversation is helpful to anyone committed to educational equity.  LINKS: Dr. Ntoya's website Integrated Schools theory of change - Contemplate, Desegregate, Integrated, Advocate Send us a voicemail Matt Barnum in Chalkbeat on the link between school choice and gentrification  African American Parent Council in Pasadena ACTION STEPS: Talk to the young people in your life about your own schooling experiences and how that affects the choices you are making for them. Don't blame global majority schools for the challenges they face. Recognize the role of the system, and view your participation in fixing them as work pushing back on systemic injustice.  Find BIPOC led organizations in your community that are doing advocacy work and ask how you can help.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are proud members of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.  

Housing and school segregation are closely intertwined, yet the story of how that came to be is rarely taught. The students at EPIC Theatre Ensemble were commissioned to write a play about this topic through the EPIC Next Program. Through extensive research, starting with the Segregated by Design website (an exploration of Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law), and including interviews with over 30 stakeholders in education and housing, the students created Between The Lines, an original play exploring the connections between America's housing policies and educational segregation. They set out to answer the questions, how have we managed to parcel out privilege in a public school system that's supposed to be free and open to everyone? Their art serves both as an outlet for the shock they felt in learning this history, and also an invitation to deeper, more productive civic dialog about a topic that can often be fraught.  We are joined by student actor, Dilisima Vickers, and co-artistic director, Jim Wallert, to discuss how the show came to be, and what they learned through making it. We also share excerpts from the show, including an original song called Segregated by Design, Jane Crow Real Estate, and a game show called The Color Code.  LINKS: EpicTheaterEnsemble.org Trailer for Between The Lines S6E2 – EPIC's “Nothing About Us”: Youth Theater on Integration Citizen Artists: A Guide to Helping Young People Make Plays That Change the World Segregated by Design website The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America- by Richard Rothstein All Quiet on the Western Front Poverty, Race, and Research Action Council - the organization that commissioned Between the Lines Interview from PRRAC's Journal with Dilisima about Between the Lines Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We're thrilled to be part of Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

For 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. With a focus on classrooms, as well as many factors outside of classrooms, the book asks us to consider the ongoing fight for civil rights, and how it plays out in our education system every day. While there continue to be important roles for political leaders, lawyers, and activists, the book also highlights the roles we can all play in pushing for an educational system that truly creates the world we want our kids to inherit. LINKS: The Civil Rights Road to Deeper Learning: Five Essentials for Equity Civil Rights Data Collection Sean Darling-Hammond, Jason Okonofua, Amanda Perez - When policy and psychology meet: Mitigating the consequences of bias in schools Lisa Delpit - Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom Hewlett Foundation - Deeper Learning Defined John Dewey - The Child and the Curriculum Including, the School and Society Ep 2 - The Bordon Family Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. We're thrilled to share some final thoughts on the episode from Drs. Darling-Hammond on our website.

 While 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. Board series, and we've featured the book in our book club. It's an incredible look at the difference between desegregation and true integration, and highlights the challenges of internal school segregation. Jenna and Elizabeth, the hosts of the Teaching While White Podcast, just released a book, called Learning and Teaching While White: Antiracist Strategies for School Communities. Follow the podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and buy the book! Enjoy, and we'll be back soon with all new episodes! LINKS Teaching While White website Teaching While White Podcast Learning and Teaching While White: Antiracist Strategies for School Communities Drs. Diamond and Lewis - Despite the Best Intentions Dr. Lewis's episode on our show Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.  

We're celebrating 100 episodes! Over the past 4.5 years we've shared 100 conversations ranging from parent conversations to experts. Today, we reflect on what we've learned, we share clips from past episodes, and talk about what we hope for the future. If you're new here, this is a great place to start, if you've been with us since the beginning, you'll recognize some clips. We share, hopes and dreams, tears and laughter, and deep gratitude for all of you for listening over these past 100 episodes. Happy holidays and THANK YOU!! LINKS: The first episode of the podcast - Ep 1 – Intro to The Integrated Schools Podcast The story of our founder, Courtney Mykytyn Nikole Hannah-Jones on This American Life The Problem We All Live With - Part 1 The Problem We All Live With - Part 2 #ClearTheAir Dr. JPB Gerald on our show S5E18 – Checklists and Merit Badges: JPB Gerald on Whiteness S9E6 – Language, Power, and Whiteness His new book - Antisocial Language Teaching: English and the Pervasive Pathology of Whiteness Courtney Martin - Writing for On Being Albert's episode - S5E3 – Gifts We Didn't Expect: Family, Faith, and Integration Active Hope (Revised): How to Face the Mess We're in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power S5E4 – All I Want for Christmas is 3.5% S7E10 – An Overdue Reckoning on Indigenous Education S9E3 – PTA So White with Dr. Brittany Murray S7E14 – Unpacking the Racial Hierarchy in School Choices S9E5 – Cathryn and the Saviors S7E4 – Redrawing the Lines: Undoing the History of Segregation with Tomas Monarez S7E2 – Moving and Choosing a School - with Sarah and Anna S6E12 – BvB@67- Greg and Carol Revisited - revisiting "I Hope They Hear It In Our Voices" S9E2 – Finding Hope in Solidarity with Heather McGhee S7E12 – Carol Anderson on White Rage Ep 14 – Kirkland on Integration Ep 7 – Vicky and The Saviors Ep 5 – Interview with a Skeptic Ep 19 – Segrenomics, Black Teachers, and Noliwe Rooks (BvB@65) Dr. Rooks - Cutting School: The Segrenomics of American Education Between We and They: A School Integration Story (Part 1) Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Back in 2020, we had the opportunity to have writer and linguist JPB Gerald on the podcast to talk about all the things. It was a great conversation and if you haven't had a chance to listen, we encourage you to go back and check it out! Well, JPB (now Dr. Gerald) is back with Val and Andrew to talk about his new book, Antisocial Language Teaching: English and the Pervasive Pathology of Whiteness. In addition to expanding on much of what we talked about in his first time on the show, the book, and this conversation highlights his thoughts on the connection between language, power, and Whiteness, as well as the links between our concept of dis/ability, and the creation of the idea of Blackness. Through the prism of "standardized" language, Dr. Gerald helps us see the ways race, language, dis/ability all work together to create a hierarchy of human value that we all have an obligation to push back against. LINKS: Dr. Gerald's website Antisocial Language Teaching: English and the Pervasive Pathology of Whiteness Dr. Gerald's dissertation Worth the Risk: Towards Decentring Whiteness in English Language Teaching Unstandardized English – JPB Gerald's Podcast (and you can support his work on Patreon) Our first episode with Dr. Gerald The Ezel Project – JPB Gerald's course on whiteness JPB on Twitter JPB was inspired by Nelson Flores and Jonathan Rosa who have written several pieces together, including Undoing Appropriateness, and Unsettling Race and Language Dr. Jasmine Clark on the melting pot vs mosaic from our show Dr. Susan Faircloth on the loss of native languages from our show ACTION STEPS: Check your internal responses to different forms of communication Work not to force the young people in your life into the box of standardized language Work in adult spaces to push on that box to make more space for other forms of communication Talk to the young people in your life about standardized language and their relative access to it Recognize when your access to language makes you comfortable, and push to hear other ideas in those moments (think PTA meetings . . . ) Buy Dr. JPB Gerald's book - Antisocial Language Teaching Listen to Unstandardized English Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

School 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 folks with privilege can show up as allies in those situations. Longtime listeners may recall a similar conversation from Season 1, Vicky and the Saviors. In a sequel of sorts, Cathryn shares a similar story from a different perspective. LINKS: S1E7 - Vicky and the Saviors Mo' Money, Mo' Problems . . . ACTION STEPS: Examine your social networks, and invest in relationships with perspectives that are missing. Talk to the young people in your life about class - and know that you aren't going to be perfect in the first conversation, but that doesn't mean it's not worth starting. Ask the young people in your life what they know about and think about money and see where the conversation takes you. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Dr. 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. Plus, we talk about the importance of making your voice heard through voting. While we know that voting alone is rarely sufficient to create change, we deeply believe that it's a crucial step towards justice. So, if you are reading this and haven't voted yet, please, go vote! LINKS: Red Wine and Blue The Suburban Women Problem Podcast Vote.gov - for local registration information as well as polling 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 think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Research shows that parent engagement can improve outcomes, yet the existing research relies on a very narrow definition of "parent engagement", and is inconclusive about who benefits from that engagement. It is clear that already advantaged students benefit from the presence of PTAs and other forms of parent engagement in schools. However, those benefits do not flow to all students equally. Dr. Brittany Murray's research focuses on race, families, and school inequality. Following in the footsteps of scholars who have begun to problematize the question of parental engagement, Dr. Murray asks us to consider if parent involvement is the universal good we've been led to believe it is. When we see the consistent representation problems that plague PTAs across the country, we have to ask how we can engage in ways that work to benefit all students and not just the children of those who are most able to participate in our narrow definition of parental engagement. LINKS: Dr. Murray's paper on bridging vs bonding social capital Dr. Annette Lareau Dr. Jessica Calarco Her episode on our show Her paper,  Avoiding Us Versus Them - on privilege dependance.  Her book, Negotiating Opportunity: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School Dr. Joyce Epstein's work Dr. Linn Posey-Maddox Dr. Maia Cucchiara Dr. Christine Woyshner Dr. Putnam's Bowling Alone Dr. Victor Ray on racialized organizations Granovetter paper about the strength of weak ties Dr. Ann Ishimaru Her episode on our show Her book, Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities ACTION STEPS: Get involved in ways that push back on opportunity hoarding When you do get involved, name that you are not looking for special treatment for your kid and that your commitment is to ALL kids. Work to create opportunities for community building outside of the traditional PTA context Share this episode with your school community Be the change we seek :-) at Patreon.com/integratedschools Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

In February of 2021, Heather McGhee's book, The Sum of Us came out. With a focus on the ways in which racism harms everyone, and the potential good that can come from cross-racial coalitions, the book was exciting to us. When we realized that Integrated Schools, and leadership team member, Ali Takata, were featured prominently in the chapter about education, we were blown away.  The book is based around three main concepts.  The first is the “zero-sum lie of racial hierarchy”, or the idea that progress for people of color necessarily has to come at White folks' expense. The second is the idea of the “drained pool,” the disinvestment by White people in public goods simply because they have to share them with people of color. And finally, the “solidarity dividend,” the idea of gains that we can unlock, but only when we come together across lines of race.  This last idea, the most hopeful, inspired Ms. McGhee to go back on the road and make a podcast documenting examples of the Solidarity Dividend in action. She joins us to discuss the podcast, what it means to be a good ally, the power of relationships in sustaining movements, and what role the Integrated Schools community should play in participating in the current, cross-racial movement for public education. LINKS Ms. McGhee's first appearance on our show The Sum of Us Podcast The Sum of Us Book James Haslem from HEAL Together Ms. McGhee and Victor Ray's Op-Ed in the NYT California Calls - organizing in California Ms. McGhee's mother - Dr. Gail Christopher Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation ACTION STEPS Listen to The Sum of Us Podcast Read The Sum of Us Book Get involved locally - find organizations that align with your values, and just show up! Take opportunities to share space with folks - school pick up/ drop off is a great place to start Share stories of cross racial solidarity with others. Stories from The Sum of Us, from our podcast, or from your own life. Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

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 conversations about race with our kids as they get older. Plus, we have many of your thoughts about this time of transition. We LOVE hearing from you, so please continue to send us voice memos - just find the voice memo app on your phone, record whatever is on your mind, and email it to us at podcast@integratedschools.org. For Season 9, we are thinking about action. We know the world can't change unless we change the way we think, but we also know that simply changing the way we think isn't enough, so for every episode, we will be including action steps that we encourage you to take after listening. Action Steps - Ep 1: Have explicit conversations about who is in class with your young people, who are they hanging out with, who is in their friend group. Consider how we, as parents, caregivers, educators, school leaders, can facilitate cross-racial friendships for our kids. Connect with the Integrated Schools community, so you don't feel alone in your fight for justice in your community. Send the teachers in your life a note of thanks and offer of support. LINKS: Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? The Integrated Schools Two Tour Pledge Jersey City Together - Education Team If you'd like to support this work, we'd be grateful if you went to our Patreon and became a supporter. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

FROM 2019 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 challenges that come with socioeconomically diverse schools. How we show up as integrating parents, how we navigate the line between asking-for-assistance and asking-for-(expecting?)-accommodations, and how we parent our own children has an impact on the other students and families in the school.   Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Links: Jessica Calarco. Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University. Dr. Calarco – Negotiating Opportunity: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School Mental Floss discussion of Dr. Calarco's study of New Yorker cartoons Dr. Calarco – Free Range' Parenting's Unfair Double Standard Viviana Zelizer – Pricing the Priceless Child Sinikka Elliott & Sarah Bowen – Pressure Cooker: Why Home Cooking Won't Solve Our Problems and What We Can Do About It Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Courtney Mykytyn. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

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 vantage point through which to understand it all… Special thanks to Beth, Nadia and Maya for being so honest, open and vulnerable, and then allowing us to share that with the world. PLUS - reflections from Val and Andrew from 2022 about the entire series, what we learned, and how it relates to Integrated Schools today. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits, Courtney Mykytyn and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by BlueDot Sessions.

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 you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Courtney Mykytyn. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by BlueDot Sessions.

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 very much in-between. And while it can be lonely, it can also be liberating… Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Courtney Mykytyn. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by BlueDot Sessions.

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 this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Courtney Mykytyn. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by BlueDot Sessions.

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 this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits, Courtney Mykytyn, and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by BlueDot Sessions.

Largely 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 further North you go, the fewer Black people there are. Once again, School Colors does a deep dive on the history in order to tell a story that will feel familiar to people from around the country. LINKS: Code Switch from NPR - featuring School Colors Season 2 Season 1 of School Colors The Brooklyn Movement Center S5E19 - ICYMI: School Colors - Mark and Max on our show from 2020 School Colors Season 1, Episode 6 - Mo' Charters Mo' Problems The Neighborhood Unit: Schools, Segregation, and the Shaping of the Modern Metropolitan Landscape - Ansley Erickson and Andrew Highsmith Episode 5 of the Nice White Parents on District 15's Diversity Plan Miseducation Podcast's new season - Keeping Score If you'd like to support this work, we'd be grateful if you went to our Patreon and became a supporter. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

As 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 you all: Sarah and Anna Stefan Lallinger Tomàs Monarrez Sarah Soonling-Blackburn Zoe and Kara Chrissy Colón Bradt Heather McGhee Susan Faircloth Brittany Brazzel Carol Anderson Chantal Hailey Tricia and Daniella James Haslam Additionally, the podcast staff collective at Integrated Schools, for brainstorming guests and stories, for working on transcript, and promotional graphics, and social media posts, and, most importantly, for being great thought partners in this important work: Darci Craghead Courtney Epton Anna Lodder Emily Moores Jennifer Patton Alex Stevens Ali Takata Stay tuned this summer - we have a couple of bonus episodes planned, and we are re-releasing the Between We and They series from 2019 with some new reflections. We'll also be hard at work recording conversations for next season. If you'd like to support this work, we'd be grateful if you went to our Patreon and became a supporter. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.    

 When 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 believe that an honest, accurate and fully funded public education is the foundation for a just, multiracial democracy. In addition to serving as a hub to connect organizations across the country already engaged in the fight for educational justice, they also provide tools and trainings so that anyone can become an organizer and lend their voice to this effort.  We are joined today by James Haslam (he/him/his), who serves as Senior Fellow at Race Forward leading the HEAL Together Initiative. He shares about his organizing work, and what caregivers can do to push back against bad-faith narratives and act to support a fully funded, honest, accurate public education for all kids. LINKS:  HEAL Together's Website Sign the HEAL Together Pledge Register for the HEAL Together Training Series James and Cathy Albisa - OpEd in TruthOut Rights And Democracy - The organization James founded in New Hampshire Southlake Podcast White Rage - Dr. Carol Anderson Dr. Anderson on our show Mother's of Massive Resistance - Dr. Elizabeth McRae Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Some 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 parents reflecting on Dr. Hailey's research. We're joined by Dr. Daniela Boyd, a Latina daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, and Tricia Ebarvia, an Asian American daughter of Filipino immigrants. Through love and a commitment to knowing better and doing better, we explore many of the ways that anti-Blackness shows up for each of us, and in our respective communities.  Content warning, particularly for Black listeners, there is discussion of anti-Black racism that can be difficult to hear. This conversation is grounded in love and community, but please take care of yourself.  LINKS: Dr. Chantal Hailey Dr. Hailey's recent research on racial preferences in school choices Teaching Hard History - podcast from Learning for Justice Just Mercy - Brian Stevenson Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

  Dr. 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 understand how individual choices are shaped by race and racism. Employing experimental and quantitative methods, her study reveals the various ways that the racial demographics of a school influence the perceived desirability of that school across racial identities, as well as for students and their parents. She joins Val and Andrew this week to discuss her research and expand the conversation beyond the Black/White binary. LINKS: Racial Preferences for Schools - Dr. Hailey A NY Daily News OpEd about her research No Choice is The Right Choice - Dr. Linn Posey-Maddox Original research from Chase Billingham and Mathew Hunt on White parents' preferences for schools 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Last 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 Divide We Are Not Yet Equal – a young readers version of White Rage One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy The 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 NAACP Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

"Since the days of enslavement, African Americans have fought to gain access to quality education. Education can be transformative. It reshapes the health outcomes of a people; it breaks the cycle of poverty; it improves housing conditions; it raises the standard of living. Perhaps, most meaningfully, educational attainment significantly increases voter participation. In short, education strengthens a democracy." Dr. Carol Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Nation's Divide, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, and The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. At the core of her research agenda is how policy is made and unmade, how racial inequality and racism affect that process and outcome, and how those who have taken the brunt of those laws, executive orders, and directives have worked to shape, counter, undermine, reframe, and, when necessary, dismantle the legal and political edifice used to limit their rights and their humanity. She joins us to discuss her work, in particular, chapter 3 from White Rage - "Burning Brown to the Ground", which looks at the White rage backlash to the Brown v. Board decision, and all of the ways that the progress promised in the decision were undermined both in the immediate aftermath of the decision, and continuing through to today. With a gift for making the illegible legible, Dr. Anderson provides us with a clear eyed look at the history that has led to the widely inequitable education system we have today. And while the topic is heavy, she brings joy and laughter to the conversation in a way that can only leave you smiling through the pain. LINKS: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Nation's Divide We Are Not Yet Equal - a young readers version of White Rage One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy The 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 NAACP Charles Hamilton Houston - The first general counsel of NAACP Plessy v Ferguson (also, listen to our episode about the Plessy case 125 years later). Brown II - The implementation decision - "All deliberate speed . . ." Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker - listen to her episode on our podcast. Voting Rights Act of 1965 Shelby County v. Holder Mothers of Massive Resistance - Dr. Elizabeth McRea Gabriel's Revolt The Sum Of Us - Heather McGhee (also, hear her episode on our podcast) My Grandmother's Hands - Resmaa Menakem The Fisk Jubilee Singers Maceo Snipes Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Founded 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 dignity and humanity of all people. Embrace historical truths. Develop a critical consciousness. Recognize race and confront racism. Create just systems.  The framework presents actionable steps related to each principle, with indicators that specify the associated knowledge, skills and behaviors required. And while this framework is designed for teachers and school leaders, the lessons are more broadly applicable, and really serve as a guide to living an antiracist life.  We're joined by CARE Professional Development Specialist, Brittany Brazzel, who contributed to the framework to discuss.  LINKS: The Framework Center for Anti-Racist Education (CARE) Clear the Air (twitter) Walter Reuther's March on Washington Speech 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

We 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 opportunity to recommit ourselves to knowing better and doing better. Dr. Susan C. Faircloth is an enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe, and a professor of education at Colorado State University. She has spent her career working on Native issues, and brings a wealth of historical knowledge, as well as family history that brings to light the challenges facing Native people, especially students, today. From Native boarding schools to her own struggles finding a school for her Native daughter, she shares deeply personal stories that force us to reckon with the repairs that are needed to begin the healing process for the sovereign Native tribes and nations on whose land we currently reside. LINKS: We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy - Kliph Nesteroff An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States - Kyle T Mays Richard Henry Pratt The Coharie Tribe Native Land Finder List of Federally Recognized Tribes The East Carolina Indian School American Indian Leadership Program John Tippeconnic The Trail of Tears Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Heather McGhee has been in public policy for the past 20 years, largely focused on economics. After nearly 16 years at Demos, a "think-and-do" tank, including four years as president, she realized that despite incredibly compelling economic research, at times, decision makers made decisions counter to what the best evidence showed. She took a leave of absence as president, and embarked on a journey to try to answer a simple question - Why can't we have nice things? We, being all Americans, and nice things being things that most developed nations have managed to provide for their people - health care, parental leave, a social safety net, and, of course, a good school in every neighborhood.   Her journey took her across the country for conversations with all sorts of people, and led to the new book, The Sum of Us, which was released on paperback today, Feb 8th, 2022, and includes a new afterword. We revisit the episode with new commentary from Andrew and Val. If you heard the interview already, the new commentary starts around the 50 minute mark. LINKS: The Sum Of Us Our Bookshop.org Storefront Demos - Public Policy "Think-and-Do" Tank Ta-Nehesi Coats - The Case for Reparations Dr. Gail Christopher HealOurCommunities.org Adrian Piper - Conceptual Artist Sherrilyn Ifill NAACP Legal Defense Fund Black Doll Test Debra Holoien Chase Bellingham and Matthew Hunt Kellogg Foundation The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

The Root Social Justice Center was founded in 2013 to serve as a hub for social justice organizing in Vermont. From food insecurity, to youth empowerment, they have been focused on racial justice organizing, community advocacy, and relationship building for nearly a decade. Several years ago, one of the programs they offered was series of workshops focused on parenting for social justice. Created by Angela Berkfield, the workshops focused on issues of racial justice, economic justice, disability justice, gender justice, and collective liberation. The workshops were a success and led Angela to write a book called Parenting 4 Social Justice. With co-authors for each chapter, Angela digs into the concepts covered in the workshops, providing parents and caregivers with tips, tools, and inspiration for conversations with kids. Tragically, in September of 2021, Angela died from breast cancer. While the community in Vermont, and across the country reeled from her loss, the Parenting 4 Social Justice team wanted to continue to share her message. Chrissy Colón Bradt is the co-author of the chapter on parenting for racial justice, and agreed to come on the podcast to share a bit of Angela's spirit with us. As an Afro-Latina and mother of two, she has thought long and hard about how to instill a positive racial identity in her own kids, and shared much of that ongoing journey in book. LINKS: Parenting 4 Social Justice from Bookshop.org The Parenting for Social Justice website The Root Social Justice Center Angela Berkfield Tributes JPB Gerald - Checklists and Merit Badges I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother - by Selina Alko Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Listeners 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 support of this work. If this podcast brought value to your life, made you think in a new way, helped you have conversations in a different way, or just brought you some joy, we'd be grateful for your support. You can join our Patreon - Patreon.com/integratedschools. Thank you for your support and we look forward to more great conversations in 2022. LINKS: Teaching Hard History Podcast Learning For Justice White Awake's - Before We Were White course Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Back 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 the past two years. From staffing shortages to second hand trauma, teachers are under increasing stress and pressure to the point that many are considering leaving the profession. We revisit some of the conversation from back in April, and then talk about the current realities and what parents and caregivers might do to support public education in these trying times. LINKS: The original episode with Kara and Zoe National Education Association survey of teachers Guest Column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the crisis in teaching Gadfly On The Wall blog post about Vicarious Trauma Special thanks to Erin Pier for helping open Andrew's eyes to the crisis in teaching. 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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

Dr. Sarah-Soonling Blackburn is an educator, speaker, and professional development specialist. Growing up in a mixed race, Asian and White family, and spending most of her childhood in various countries in Asia, ideas of belonging have always had salience for her. From the classroom to Learning for Justice, her work has focused on the things that help students feel seen and included. She joins us to discuss the myth of the Model Minority and helps contextualize the role of Asian American identities in our collective understanding and education about race and America.  With a bit of a history lesson, Dr. Blackburn gives us a greater understanding of how this myth is not only harmful to Asian Americans, but to all people of color, and how it is directly tied to anti-Black racism in our country. She also offers deep reflection about what solidarity building can really mean and what we all have to offer in the fight to dismantle White supremacy culture. LINKS: Time cover - "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids"  Learning for Justice Paula Yoo - From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement Cathy Park Hong - Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning Erika Lee - The Making of Asian American Elizabeth McRea - Mothers of Massive Resistance Dr. McRea on our podcast - White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy Jeff Chan - We Gon' Be Alright Other resources that have shaped our learning: The Asian American Justice and Innovation Lab See Us Unite  The PBS Series - Asian Americans Code Switch Post - The Model Minority Myth  Angry Asian Man  Bianca Mabute-Louie Dr. Connie Wun Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  Register for our upcoming bookclub in early December. We're reading Mia Birdsong's How We Show Up.  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 – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

If you think about a "segregated school", what image comes to mind? Quite often, the cultural narrative says that that is a school with almost exclusively students of color. What about a school with 98% White students? Is that a "segregated school"? While we don't often think of it that way, it is clearly segregated. Tomás Monarrez is an economist by training. As he was studying the question of school and housing segregation at the Urban Institute, he was struck by the ways that the field of economics falls into the same traps that we fall into as a culture - segregation means concentrations of Black, Brown and Indigenous students. This seemed wrong to Tomás, and he and his colleagues set out to define segregation, using the tools of economics. Their definition takes the district average demographics and holds that as the baseline to which other schools should be compared. In this framing, in a district with 70% students of color, a school with 90% students of color is segregating, but so is a school with 50% students of color. What he quickly found was that the schools that often contribute the most to segregation within a district are not the schools we often focus on - are not the schools with 95% students of color, but rather, the schools with 75%, %85, even 90% White students. His hope is that this shift in framing can focus the efforts of local policy makers who care about decreasing segregation.  He joins to talk about his work, why he does it, and what sort of social good he hopes his economics focus can achieve.  LINKS: Segregation Contribution Index Dividing Lines: How School Districts Draw Attendance Boundaries to Perpetuate School Segregation A Vox explainer highlighting the work of Tomás Monarrez and the Urban Institute on school boundaries Home Owners Loan Corporation - 1930s entity that drew redlining maps Look up redlining maps for your city Michelle Adams on our podcast - traces the history of desegregation law in this country The Parents Involved Case Harry Belafonte on King saying "I fear we are integrating into a burning house" Dr. Elizabeth McRea on our podcast - White Woman and the Politics of White Supremacy Dr. McRea's Mother's of Massive Resistance Richard Rothstein Color of Law SFUSD's new student assignment policy Tree Equity Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

We're thrilled to be joining Connectd Podcasts, a network dedicated to helping shows like ours grow and thrive. For more info, or to check out their other amazing shows, head over to their website.  ----------------------------------------------------- In 1954, Louis Redding, Delaware's first Black attorney, joined the legal team at the NAACP to argue the Brown v Board case. Having agued two of the lower court cases that were incorporated into the Brown case, he was a key member of the team, along with Thurgood Marshall, who won perhaps the mostly widely known and celebrated court case ever. Sixty years later, his grandson, Stefan Lallinger, found himself teaching at school in New Orleans with over 90% students of color. This segregation wasn't caused by explicit, legal requirements for segregated schools, and yet it still happened. Lallinger's curiosity led him to get a doctorate and eventually to leading The Bridges Collaborative, a hub for school and housing practitioners to work together to advance the cause of integration.  Lallinger joins us to discuss his family legacy, how it shapes his current work, and what legacy he hopes to leave for his kids.  LINKS: Lallinger on the importance of the Bridges Collaborative work Martin Luther King, Jr on the difference between desegregation and integration  A Vox explainer highlighting the work of Tomàs Monarrez and the Urban Institute on school boundaries The Bridges Collaborative IntegrateNYC, the 5 Rs of Real Integration The National Coalition of School Diversity Maya Angelou Still I Rise Langston Hughes Mother to Son Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker - The Lost Education of Horace Tate Dr. Siddle Walker on our podcast MLK - Where Do We Go From Here MLK - A Testament of Hope W.E.B. DuBois on the fear of integrating Black students into hostile spaces Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org. We are a proud member of The Connectd Podcast Network. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.

The 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 and purchased homes in the past, this was the first time they engaged in that process with a deep commitment to anti-racist school integration.  They discovered that living into their values wasn't always easy.  They share their process, and the challenges they faced, as they grappled with what it means to be White, and what it means to have racial and economic privilege in a world where they want to show up better and create a more just place. LINKS:Maggie Hagerman -White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America Richard Rothstein - Color of Law The Intro to the Integrated Schools PodcastUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown.  It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey. 

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.  Leadership team member, Ali Takata recently published a blog post highlighting the gap she has felt in our ability to address a multiracial audience and announcing our intentions to grow  from a primarily White organization into a truly multiracial organization.  While we know that this process needs to be slow and deliberate, we are also deeply committed to seeing it through.  With that in mind, and given that the podcast has been lacking a regular co-host, we felt it was time to bring someone new on board, and we are so grateful that Val agreed.  She will be with us at least though May of 2022 to co-host, lend her insights, and help model what a truly multiracial coalition could be.  In this first episode, we get to know her backstory, why she cares, and what we hope this season will achieve.  LINKS:Val Brown on TwitterAli's Blog PostWhite Lips to White Ears by IS Advisory Board Member, Matt Gonzales#ClearTheAirDr. Mica PollockJoin 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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown.  It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

From the time Courtney Martin strapped her daughter, Maya, to her chest for walks around her neighborhood, she was curious about Emerson Elementary, a public school down the street from her Oakland home. She learned that White families in their gentrifying neighborhood largely avoided the majority-Black, poorly-rated school. As she began asking why, a journey of a thousand moral miles began.Courtney journey led her to Integrated Schools and our founder, Courtney Everts Mykytyn, who told her: "people like you do things like this." Integrated Schools, and a friendship between the two Courtneys, became a support system as Martin decided to enroll her daughter at Emerson - and discovered that her public school, the foundation of our fragile democracy, is a powerful place to dig deeper - to go beyond hashtags and yard signs to be a part of transforming herself, her community, and ultimately, the country.She chronicled this choice and then the complexities of living into it in her new book, Learning in Public. More than a memoir, Learning in Public is an exercise in doing the best you can, owning your mistakes, and committing to knowing better and doing better. She joins us to talk about the book along with one of the key characters from the book, Mrs. Minor. After teaching Courtney's daughter, Mrs. Minor left the public school system to start her own private preschool, The Learning Forest. Courtney and Amha (as Mrs. Minor's new students call her) developed a friendship over the course of monthly conversations about integration, public education, race and more. Ahma brings a critical eye and nuanced perspective to the topic of integration, and pushes us to constantly reconsider if we are doing the right thing. To support The Learning Forest, you can sponsor a family through GoFundMe, or donate directly CashApp $TheLearningForest. LINKS:The Learning Forest PreschoolCourtney's new book - Learning In Public On Being Column by CourtneyMansa MusaCourtney's last appearance on the podcastRucker C Johnson on our podcast talking about his book, Children of The DreamUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

One hundred and twenty five years ago this week, The Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Plessy v Ferguson. The case infamously declared that separate but equal was constitutional. The setting for the case was a train car, but the ramifications on society were profound. And while the Brown v Board decision 63 years later did away with some of those ramifications, in many ways, Plessy remains with us today. Coming in the wake of the civil war, the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments make up what are known as the Reconstruction Amendments, the Amendments intended to guarantee the freedom of formerly enslaved people. In many ways, the promise of these Amendments remains unfulfilled. In their immediate aftermath, many state legislatures took steps to undermine them, often upheld by federal courts. The Plessy case came in response to just such a law. In 1890 Louisiana State Legislature passed the Separate Car Act requiring equal, but separate train cars for White and Black passengers. Two years later, Homer Plessy agreed to participate in a challenge to the law, by boarding a train and refusing to ride in the Black car. He was arrested and challenged his case all the way to The Supreme Court. This decision, regularly making top 10 lists of worst Supreme Court decisions of all time, enshrined segregation in law, allowing for Jim Crow, Black codes, and undoing much of the gains made for Black people during the short-lived years of Reconstruction. However, the decision wasn't unanimous, there was one lone dissenting opinion by Justice John Marshall Harlan. Justice Harlan earned the nickname, The Great Dissenter, for a number of dissenting opinions in favor of civil rights during his tenure on the Court at the end of the 19th century. And his dissent in the Plessy case served as a statement of what our values as a country could and should be. It was also a prescient warning of where the social caste system, enshrined by the majority opinion, would lead us. Paula Forbes has been at the intersection of law and education for many years. As the first in-house counsel for the Minneapolis Public School district, she saw the ways that the caste system enshrined by the Plessy decision, and never fully repaired, continues to act as a barrier to educational justice. She joins us to discuss the importance of reckoning with and repairing our past in order to create the future we desire.  LINKS:Paula Forbes websiteThe Chaordic Path Plessy v FergusonNYTimes Guest Essay on Justice Harlan by Peter CanellosPre-order Mr. Canellos's forthcoming book The Great DissenterThe Reconstruction AmendmentsJustice John Marshall HarlanMalvina Harlan (Justice Harlan's Wife)A story about Justice Harlan and his half-brotherRegister for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

In 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 for their willingness to share their stories, we listen.Email your appreciation to Greg and Carol at hello@integratedschools.org, suggest future topics, or share your story with us - @integratedschls on twitter, or IntegratedSchools on Facebook.Register for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsJoin 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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. Edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

For 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 educational justice that continue to this day.LINKS:-San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez-Richard Valencia-The Lemon Grove Incident-Mendez v. Westminster-Hernandez v. Texas-Santamaria v. Dallas ISD-Patricia Gandara on the triple segregation of Latinx people Register for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. Edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

Dr. 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 integrating classrooms, but the story we tell about it is that it ended our racist school policies. While that may feel good, our “good intentions” do not absolve us from the impact of our actions.LINKS:Amanda Lewis Race In The Schoolyard Karolyn Tyson Integration InterruptedCharles Tilley on Opportunity HoardingRegister for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. Edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

For 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 reminds us of many of the costs, especially to the Black community. She asks us to engage with these stories in order to understand the very real intent behind where we find ourselves today. It is only through changing the stories we tell, that we might envision a different, more equitable future for school integration.Register for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. Edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

As 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 grandchildren of Brown v. Board, Dr. Johnson shows us that desegregation did have profoundly important effects on individuals and communities even while we gave up on it too quickly.Register for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. Edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

Aurelio Montemayor has been organizing parents for decades.  His work at the Intercultural Research Development Association, or IDRA, as a family engagement coordinator has focused on a specific type of parent engagement, known as parent empowerment.  He defines the four ways parents are typically engaged in schools as:As free labor and fundraisers.Through education programs designed to help improve parentingThrough education programs designed for self improvementThrough meaningful parent / caregiver empowermentThis fourth form of parent engagement - parent empowerment, is the only form that he believes leads to school wide improvement for all kids.  When done well, it can serve as an important tool for equity, but it requires that all parents feel empowered.I'm joined by parent board member, Sarah Becker, to discuss what this looks like in practice, and how people with racial or economic privilege, who often enter schools with outsized empowerment, can act as allies.LINKS:Intercultural Research Development AssociationChicano MovementNo Child Left BehindWhen Middle-Class Parents Choose Urban Schools: Class, Race, and the Challenge of Equity in Public Education by Lynn Posey-MaddoxDespite The Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools by John B. Diamond and Amanda E. LewisRegister for the Integrated Schools Book Club in July.  We'll be reading Heather McGhee's The Sum of UsUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.

Please join us for How We Show Up (part 1) on April 19th, 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT. Registration is free!Our country has, at times, and in fits and starts, worked toward desegregation, but never meaningfully worked toward real integration. Desegregation is about the moving of bodies, the demographic percentages in a school building. Integration is about, in the words of David Kirkland, "fundamentally working to organize our society in a different way, where our differences are seen as spaces that we not only celebrate but LET BE, where this forms the vibrancy of our being as a society." It is about decentering Whiteness, it is about creating new forms of shared power, and it is about recognizing the full humanity of every kid.Historically, the ways White &/or privileged people talk about “good” vs. “bad” schools, the choices we make, both individually and collectively, about where to educate our children, and the ways we show up when we do enroll in global-majority schools have served to maintain our advantages and in turn, continue to oppress others. This didn’t happen by accident.Todays episode is an edit of our first ever webinar- The Integrated Schools Movement: Where We Begin.  In it, we explore how our schools got to where they are now, and what role we play in either maintaining or disrupting this system. Members of our all-volunteer crew share personal stories of enrolling our kids in global-majority schools, and the joys and missteps we experience while showing up as parents and community members. LINKS:A video of the webinarSlides shared during the webinarThe original resource list shared after the webinar:Native Land FinderEpisode: White Supremacy and Black Educational Excellence: Hidden Stories of the Integration Movement – Integrated Schools podcast featuring a conversation with Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker and Dr. Elizabeth McRae facilitated by Dani McClainVanessa Siddle Walker: The Lost Education of Horace TateElizabeth McRae: Mothers of Massive ResistanceEpisode: White Women and the Politics of White SupremacyThe current levels of segregation in our schools.The wealth gap – from Brookings, and The Washington PostRichard Rothstein – The Color of LawMichelle Alexander – The New Jim CrowEdBuild on the $23 billion funding gap between districts serving predominantly students of color vs White students.David KirklandEpisode: Kirkland on IntegrationRucker JohnsonThe Children of the DreamEpisode – Rucker Johnson and the Grandchildren of DesegregationDr Kfir MordechayEpisode: GentrificationDr. Amanda LewisDespite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools with John DiamondEpisode: Desegregation without IntegrationEngage with Integrated SchoolsFind your local chapterSign up for our Parent-to-Parent programListen to the podcastJoin our PatreonJoin our Facebook groupCheck out our full resource listSign up for Book ClubUse these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey

Heather McGhee has been in public policy for the past 20 years, largely focused on economics.  After nearly 16 years at Demos, a "think-and-do" tank, including four years as president, she realized that despite incredibly compelling economic research, at times, decision makers made decisions counter to what the best evidence showed.  She took a leave of absence as president, and embarked on a journey to try to answer a simple question - Why can't we have nice things?  We, being all Americans, and nice things being things that most developed nations have managed to provide for their people - health care, parental leave, a social safety net, and, of course, a good school in every neighborhood.   Her journey took her across the country for conversations with all sorts of people, and led to the new book, The Sum of Us, which has been on the New York Times Bestseller's list since was released.  We are incredibly grateful to Heather McGhee for agreeing to come on the show in the midst of a serious promotional schedule.  We are also honored that Integrated Schools makes an appearance in the book.  LINKS:The Sum Of UsOur Bookshop.org StorefrontDemos - Public Policy "Think-and-Do" TankTa-Nehesi Coats - The Case for ReparationsDr. Gail ChristopherHealOurCommunities.orgAdrian Piper - Conceptual ArtistSherrilyn IfillNAACP Legal Defense FundBlack Doll TestDebra HoloienChase Bellingham and Matthew HuntKellogg FoundationThe New Jim Crow - Michelle AlexanderThe Color of Law - Richard RothsteinBryan Stevenson of Equal Justice InitiativeDon't forget to register for our next webinar: How We Show Up,  April 19th 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT.  This free, 90 minute webinar will feature parents from Integrated Schools. We'll be sharing personal stories of how we, as parents and caregivers with racial or economic privilege, work to center anti-racist integration when we arrive in integrating schools.The Sum of Us is our next Book Club selection.  Dates are in July, and you can register here.  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 - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey