In the decades since Brown v. Board of Education, federal education policies—from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015—have stimulated systemic changes to support equitable educational opportunities and outcomes for our nation's children. Mandating the desegregation of public schools in 1965 was the beginning of intentional efforts to address inequity.
Reporting requirements under NCLB required school districts to collect and disaggregate data on student performance by race. Under ESSA, districts have been pushed to dig deeper with data and address the root causes of educational inequities. However, despite federal intervention, racial and socioeconomic segregation persists in schools and communities. Inequity remains a consistent headline.
According to a recent New York Times article, New York City schools remain some of the most segregated in the nation, despite efforts to desegregate since the Brown ruling. But rather than push for integration, some black parents are choosing to enroll their children in Afrocentric schools explicitly designed for black children. As one Brooklyn parent said, "Even if integrated education worked perfectly—and our society spent the last 60-plus years trying—it's still not giving black children the kind of education necessary to create solutions our communities need."
Over the last two decades, research demonstrating the deleterious effects of segregated schooling on all students has been used to anchor federal policies aimed at achieving educational equity. In short, we know that achievement of students of color increases when they have opportunities to learn from and with teachers of the same race (Goldhaber, Theobald, & Tien, 2015). We know that white students also experience benefits when they learn in diverse settings (Wells, Fox, & Cordova-Cobo, 2016). And we have convincing evidence that, when done well, culturally responsive curriculum and assessment are impactful levers for student learning—regardless of the racial or cultural background of the teachers or their students (Hammond, 2015).
So, if the research is clear and convincing about what we need to do and why we need to do it, why does inequity persist?
Changing Systems, Minds, and Practices
While Brown was a direct indictment on systems that privileged some over others based on race, advancing educational equity requires deliberate consideration of all parts of the problem: the systems, the minds, and the practices. Brown and subsequent federal laws may have provoked education leaders to change systems that perpetuate inequity for students in schools, but those laws did not effectively spur requisite changes to the mindsets and practices of people working in those systems.
Despite over six decades of focus on changing systems, segregation in schools and communities remains a reality and the status quo continues to be influenced by racial bias. We must ask ourselves—as educators, advocates, school and system leaders alike—what can we do to integrate schools and rebuild the education system to serve educational equity? We can start to counter racial bias through investment in increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce. We can strengthen capacity of teachers and leaders to enact culturally responsive practice and school cultures.
One multistate initiative launched last year by the Council of Chief State School Officers has taken up this charge to disrupt the status quo. The common goals of participating states are to (1) increase the racial diversity of the teacher workforce and (2) ensure all teachers demonstrate culturally responsive practice. In January, members of the initiative released a vision and guidance paper addressing one essential question: What would the teaching and learning experiences of students and teachers be if we had a racially diverse and culturally responsive teacher workforce? The progress states make through the initiative in years to come will serve as strong evidence of how shifts in mindset contribute to changes in practice among teachers and school leaders.
Additionally, a number of valuable resources and tools have been produced by the federally funded equity assistance centers, which came out of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, to inform the types of changes needed to dismantle segregation and support educational equity. The Regional Equity Assistance Centers' Equity-based Framework for Achieving Integrated Schooling provides a clear visual presentation for understanding the foundational elements and critical supports needed for integrated schooling that supports educational equity. These include inclusive community and school partnerships, school-based supports such as rigorous and culturally relevant curriculum, and systems for measuring outcomes that cover student academics and social learning and climate.
If schools and educators are going to succeed in dismantling segregation and inequity in education, we need to change the current status quo, which continues to perpetuate racial bias. This means we must continuously interrogate our beliefs and actions as they relate to race in educator practices. Educator preparation programs must invest in developing tomorrow's teachers and leaders with the competencies needed to engage in culturally responsive and sustaining teaching and school leadership.
At the same time, teachers and school leaders must commit to engaging in professional learning to strengthen culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies and practices. If history has taught us anything, it's that we cannot expect policy changes alone to yield the results we want—now and over time—if we do not make salient and address the changes in beliefs and practice that will achieve educational equity.