The Blog
Thoughts and news from the Integrated Schools community
Our journey through the 7th grade lottery: What we heard, what we did, how we decided
To be a parent in Boston is to be constantly bombarded with messages about the precariousness of our public schools.” As his oldest child nears the end of an integrated inclusion elementary school,” one White dad reflects on the social expectations for White, middle-class families facing the 7th grade lottery and the fact that “selective schools are distinguished by which students aren’t there as much as they are by the opportunities offered.”
New Research: Happiness-oriented parenting & school integration
A new study from an all-star lineup of researchers contrasts the hyper-competitive, win-loose kind of school decision making common in privileged parenting circles with an alternative that foregrounds mental/emotional health, perhaps as a response to the anxiety that characterizes this type of contemporary American parenting in privileged families.
The Underpinnings and Pitfalls of School Choice
When it comes to education, some argue that the ability to opt out of the public system is practically a right. An integrating White parent from Lancaster, PA, argues that “school choice” hides who suffers from policies like Pennsylvania’s educational improvement tax credit program, and shields from blame those whose publicly funded but antidemocratic “choices” cause harm.
Why First Steps Matter
In White-normed parenting culture, the pull to follow the “herd” of what others are doing can be very strong. A mom shares how the Integrated Schools Two Tour Pledge helped her reorganize her thinking and priorities around choosing a school.
Reflections on Integration, Community and Gardening
White mom, Emily Moores, reflects on the parallels between tending to a garden and tending to the relationships necessary to participate in meaningful integration and living in true community.
When Touring Isn’t the Norm
There are places where “touring schools” is just “good parenting”, and yet that is not a universal experience. One mom shares her experience of living in a community where “touring” to determine a school’s quality is not the norm, and how she is navigating making equitable educational decisions with her family.
When (and How) Demographics Matter Most
There is no Integrated Schools “formula” for choosing and enrolling our children in a new school, and what is important might take a different shape for families depending on their particular racial makeup. To illustrate that, Katherine, a mom in Los Angeles, shares her family’s kindergarten enrollment story.
Rethinking the Two-Tour Pledge – Is Exposure Enough?
Though getting to know a global-majority school through a tour or some other approach is valuable, it’s not sufficient to our commitment to integrate schools. It’s also about showing up in a way that honors the existing families and rich cultures that already exist at the schools we choose.
SD News Roundup: The lines that divide, part 1
My last post was about the exchange between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden at the first round of Democratic primary debates earlier this summer. It’s amazing to me that this already feels so distant. Before getting to the main topic for the posts this week, here’s a quick summary of some of the major things that have happened in the last month or so.
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