There's a difference between feeling like you belong in a space and that that space belongs to you. That true sense of belonging, of feeling seen and heard and respected in a space, has profound educational impacts. Dr. Shanette Porterhas studied schools that have created that sense of belonging, and found that not only are strictly academic measures improved (test scores, etc), but other benefits come as well. From increased graduation rates, to decreased disciplinary incidents, to increased at...
Feb 07, 2024•48 min•Season 10Ep. 9
Local control of schools is long tradition in the US. The result is a patchwork of over 13,000 local school districts. This creates a challenge for The Federal Department of Education to enact change across the country. Roberto Rodriguez is the Assistant Secretary of Eduction for Planning, Policy, and Evaluation at the US Department of Education, where they recently awarded $10 million of grants through the Fostering Diverse Schools program, a grant designed to supporting voluntary efforts to in...
Jan 24, 2024•38 min•Season 10Ep. 8
As 2023 comes to a close, we just wanted to take a brief moment to reflect on the year, talk about our hopes for 2024, and hear from you! We share listener voice memos, an update on Integrated Schools, including our new board of directors, and tease a few of the episodes coming in the new year! LINKS: Blog post about our new board of directors Send us your voice memos! -http://speakpipe.com/integratedschools If you'd like to volunteer, send us an email - volunteer@integratedschools.org Check out...
Dec 13, 2023•30 min•Season 10Ep. 7
We were thrilled to have two interns working on the podcast over the past summer. One of them, Jaden González, found an episode of the Teaching Hard History podcast from Learning for Justice that spoke to him, so he joined us to talk about it and play a portion of it. In it, we hear from Dr. Aisha White who has studied how children, especially young children, understand and learn about race. It dispels the myth that children are ever too young to learn about race, and has helpful suggestions for...
Nov 29, 2023•44 min•Season 10Ep. 6
Like many of you, we were blown away by Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law for the ways it unveiled institutionalized racial segregation and its lingering impacts on our country. His methodical unmasking of the explicitly racist policies that led to the creation of the suburbs, the wealth gap, educational disparities and more helped expose the idea of "de facto" segregation, or segregation that occurs naturally, as a myth. The ways that we are segregated today were caused by intentional govern...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 10Ep. 5
Our focus on this show is often on parents and caregivers and the choices we make, from where to send our kids to school, to how we show up in those communities, to how we advocate for our kids and all kids. We have also talked about students and teachers, and national level policies. However, we have not previously spent much time talking about the district level decision makers, from school board members, to superintendents, to central office staff. Due to the decentralized nature of our educa...
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr•Season 10Ep. 4
Gentrification sucks . . . yet change is inevitable. We're joined today by Young Adult author, Jade Adia, whose first novel, There Goes The Neighborhood takes place in a fictional neighborhood in South LA being wracked by gentrification. Through a story of friendship, found family, and coming of age, Jade invites us in to a neighborhood deeply worth saving, and three friends who set out to save it in a deeply problematic way. We discuss Jade's personal story and how it led to her writing this no...
Oct 18, 2023•59 min•Season 10Ep. 3
The son of a Black father and a White mother, John Blake grew up in a deeply segregated, Black neighborhood in Baltimore with a great mystery - who was his mom? Until he was 17, all he knew about her was that she was White, her name was Shirley, and her family hated Black people. Meeting her, at age 17, began a journey of racial understanding and changed his life. Mr. Blake has been writing about race and religion as a reporter for over 25 years, and over those years he has come to discover that...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 10Ep. 2
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 ...
Sep 20, 2023•38 min•Season 10Ep. 1
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...
May 31, 2023•23 min•Season 9Ep. 16
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 surroundin...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 9Ep. 15
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....
May 03, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 9Ep. 14
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 r...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 9Ep. 13
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 equi...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 9Ep. 12
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...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 9Ep. 11
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 ...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 9Ep. 10
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,...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 9
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 . W...
Jan 11, 2023•56 min•Season 9Ep. 8
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 episod...
Dec 14, 2022•57 min•Season 9Ep. 7
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, ...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 9Ep. 6
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...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 9Ep. 5
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 su...
Nov 02, 2022•43 min•Season 9Ep. 4
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 footst...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 9Ep. 3
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 pro...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 2
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 choice...
Sep 28, 2022•54 min•Season 9Ep. 1
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,...
Aug 24, 2022•52 min•Season 8Ep. 1
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, cons...
Aug 03, 2022•52 min•Season 8Ep. 5
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 a...
Jul 27, 2022•35 min•Season 8Ep. 4
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 fo...
Jul 20, 2022•26 min•Season 8Ep. 3
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 ...
Jul 13, 2022•34 min•Season 8Ep. 2
