In this heavy-but-hopeful episode, we hear from Minneapolis parent leaders navigating crisis on the ground as ICE operations disrupt families, schools, and daily life. Carina (a White mom and bridge-builder in dual language spaces) and Cisne (a Spanish-speaking immigrant mom and community leader) share how relationships, language justice, and mutual aid helped their community respond. A reminder we can’t shake: systems may fail us, but relationships help keep us safe.

Legal historian Dr. Danielle Wingfield helps us connect today’s attacks on public education to a long history of “massive resistance.” We talk curriculum fights, “parental rights,” privatization, and what it takes to build home place—and find the staying power to outlast backlash.

The Integrated Schools Podcast returns with a generous, grounding conversation with disability rights activist and author Emily Ladau, author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. Ladau models what it means to “call people in,” making conversations about disability more accessible, human, and connected.
We explore disability as an identity that cuts across all others, the links between ableism and White supremacy, and why this work can’t be done in isolation. An invitation into learning, belonging, and collective responsibility.

As we close out 2025, we reflect on a year of big transitions, hard truths, and deep community. We talk about parenting through uncertainty, choosing schools rooted in belonging over prestige, and raising kids in a world that feels increasingly unstable.
We look back on this season’s conversations, share reflections from our first-ever in-person Integrated Schools gathering, and remind ourselves why community is not optional—it’s how we survive and stay in the work.
Ten years into Integrated Schools, we’re still here. And we’re carrying this together.

What if accountability didn’t require public shaming? MacArthur “Genius” Dr. Loretta Ross joins us to talk about the power of “calling in”—a practice rooted in love, curiosity, and connection. From her personal journey through trauma and healing to her decades of justice work, Dr. Ross shows us how we can hold each other accountable without breaking our communities.
A timely, necessary conversation about parenting, privilege, public schools, and the power of showing up as our best selves.

We’re joined by Ms. Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union, for a conversation about parent voice, public education, and what it means to build a “big tent” in a moment of real crisis for kids and schools. Speaking from the halls of the U.S. Senate, Ms. Rodrigues reflects on her journey as a mother and organizer, the fears and hopes shaping families today, and why authentic family engagement—not the fear-based tactics we’ve seen from groups like Moms for Liberty—is essential to a healthy public education system.

At this year’s Color of Education Summit in Raleigh, NC, we heard powerful stories from educators, students, and advocates committed to equity. From personal journeys to collective action, this episode highlights how storytelling builds community, inspires change, and sustains the work of educational justice. Featuring Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith and voices from across the state, we explore how the stories we carry shape the future we build—together.

We’re sharing a special crossover: Dr. Val and Andrew join Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs and Adam Jacobs, co-hosts of the Raising Antiracist Kids podcast, to talk about parents as partners in building antiracist school communities. We sit with discomfort, model grace, and keep our eyes on the long game—this is a marathon relay, and we each carry the baton for a bit.

Educator, CEO, and school board member Byron Sanders joins us for a powerful conversation on identity, purpose, and the responsibility that comes with our gifts. From navigating childhood trauma to finding hope through imagination and service, Byron’s story reminds us that education should be about more than test scores—it should be about shaping who we are and what we’re here to do.

As we launch Season 12 of the podcast, Dr. Val and Andrew reflect on the start of the school year.  With big personal transitions, and the country in a state of deep uncertainty, we ask, what now?  How can we acknowledge the current state of eduction and find ways to act for justice.  

Public education is the bedrock of democracy and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens, but Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues it was never intended to do that for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure.

The president just signed a truly monstrous piece of legislation into law. Much has been written about the impacts on health, climate and the debt, but there is a lesser known evil lurking in this bill – a national school voucher plan. It’s temping to lose hope, but there is something each of us can do.

As Season 11 comes to a close, we wanted to spend some time reflecting on the lessons we’ve learned from this season and what we hope for in Season 12.  We’ll be off for the summer with a few possible bonus episodes, and back for real in the fall.  

The choice between public and private school can feel complicated. The individual benefits can sometimes feel like they outweigh a desire to participate in the collective. Drs. Lisa Sibbett and Stephanie Forman were disappointed by their colleagues in educational research who spoke of the importance of public schools but opted out for their own kids. So they studied them. They join to share what they learned, and how we might bring those folks back to advocating on behalf of public schools, even if their kids are, at the moment, not attending.

Recruiting Black educators is important work, but it often overshadows the crucial work of retention. The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators creates a space for Black educators who have left the classroom to share their stories of why. This archival justice work is crucial not just to facilitate healing for Black educators who have been harmed by the system, but also to help point the way towards retaining Black educators.

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad argues that identity, skills, intellectualism, criticality, and joy are the key pursuits to cultivate the genius in each of us. Our education system’s focus on skills often ignores the other pursuits to the detriment of all kids. Dr. Muhammad joins us to provide a hopeful vision of a world focused on all five pursuits.

The common narrative about integration often frames it as a clear victory—a moment when American education finally confronted injustice. But Dr. Noliwe Rooks argues the reality often led to profound losses for Black communities. Through the story of 4 generations of her own family, Dr. Rooks reveals how integration initiatives frequently dismissed Black voices and visions for education, leaving systemic inequities intact.

From policy makers to researchers, school leaders to equity advocates, the National Coalition for School Diversity national conference featured many of the brightest minds focusing on how we build up and support an education system that serves all children well. Today we share conversations of hope from the conference.

Public education is the bedrock of democracy and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens, but Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues it was never intended to do that for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure. 

“To be White is, is to be raised on lies. Lies that are passed down generationally.”
Greg Jarrell is an ordained minister, a cultural organizer and joins us to discuss the ongoing moral and intellectual deficiencies that come from Whiteness, the importance of intentional anti-racist education, and the need for material and cultural reparations.

Omkari Williams believes deeply in the power of people to change their environments – that through the power of the human spirit, and small, concrete actions, anything is possible. She joins us to discuss her book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World without a Bullhorn, and leaves us with hope in dark times.

Milliken v Bradley, a court case decided in 1974, put an end to the promise of integration made in the Brown v Board case. It codified in law that White flight is a path to avoid integration. Michelle Adams is a constitutional law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, and has a new book about the decision and the impacts we still feel today. She joins us to discuss her life, the book, and why she cares so deeply about this decision.

Choosing an integrating school can feel like a risky choice, and leave us wanting a crystal ball to see the future. We’re joined by Susan and her son Elias, who reflect on their journey through integrating schools. Elias, now a sophomore is grateful for the things he’s gained as White student in predominately Black and brown schools.

Race is a social construct and schools are a key place where those categories get constructed and re-constructed. Dr. Laura Chávez-Moreno joins us to discuss the role schools place in race making, and, in particular, how dual-language programs impact our understanding of Latinx as a racial category.

School funding disparities and school segregation are often treated as separate issues. Brown’s Promise believes we can’t solve one without solving the other. Saba Bireda and Ary Amerikaner, the founders of Brown’s Promise, join us to discuss their work, how parents and caregivers can get involved in advocacy work, and what the world might look like if we could solve these two, interrelated issues.  

In the wake of the election results, Dr. Val and Andrew sit down to reflect on what it means for ourselves, for the Integrated Schools movement, and for the institution of public education.  

“Since the days of enslavement, African Americans have fought to gain access to quality education. Education can be transformative. Education strengthens a democracy.” – Dr. Carol Anderson, author of White Rage. In this week before the election, we are revisiting this conversation from March of 2022 discussing the White rage backlash to the Brown v. Board decision, and how it is as relevant today as it was in the late 1950s.

Dr. Sandra Mitchell was entering the 4th grade in 1963 when her family decided to desegregate Stonewall Jackson Elementary in Petersburg, VA. She joins us to tell her story of struggle and hope. We also get to hear from her father, the Reverend Grady Powell, who, at 92, continues to be a powerful voice for integration.

Janel George, a Georgetown Law professor, recently wrote a paper called “Deny, Defund, and Divert: The Law and American Miseducation”, the piece outlines historical and modern systemic educational inequalities faced by Black communities, linked to legislative actions and adaptations of White supremacy. She joins us to talk about legislative lawyering, the importance of community engagement when making public policy, and the ongoing role of systemic racism in our legal and education systems.

We’re back!!  We hope you had a wonderful summer!  We’re excited to be back in your feeds as a new school year gets underway.  As we kick off season 11 of the podcast, we are recommitting to the mission and vision of Integrated Schools, and using the podcast as a platform to invite you in to the conversation.