School Colors is a narrative podcast from Brooklyn Deep about how race, class, and power shape American cities and schools. We’re joined by the hosts to discuss the series, and to hear the 7th episode, New Kids on The Block. From gentrification, to school segregation, to colonization, this episode touches on many of the themes we discuss at Integrated Schools.

We revisit our episode on Milliken v Bradley from a year ago. Joined by Michelle Adams, Constitutional Law Professor at Cardozo School of Law, who is writing a book on Milliken v Bradley, we discuss the case that functionally halted the promise of Brown v Board at the city limits, allowing all-White suburbs (created through policies like redlining) to maintain all-White schools.

What is a healthy racial identity for a White person, and how do we help our White children develop one? We’re joined by Dr. Jennifer Harvey to discuss her book, Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America, as well her personal journey towards anti-racist organizing, educating, and child rearing.

We’re joined by two teachers, Zoe Rooney and Kara Cisco, who are grappling with what remote learning means for students already facing educational inequities. As we all have to balance and juggle and re-prioritize due to circumstances outside our control can we learn to have greater empathy for the families who have always had to cope with so many factors outside their control? And can we translate that lesson into a will to make systemic changes when our children return to their classrooms?

Nearly every public school in the country gets a rating from GreatSchools.org. What goes into these ratings, and what is the impact of having a national school rating system. Matt Barnum (Chalkbeat) joins us to discuss the ways these ratings can nudge families away from schools with higher concentrations of Black and Brown students.

Our hearts are heavy over the loss of our founder, director and friend, Courtney Mykytyn.

Helicopter Parenting, Snowplow Parenting, Lawnmower Parenting – these are all forms of intensive parenting. Dr. Jessica Calarco joins us to discuss the impact of this type of parenting in our school communities.

As Beth’s district contemplates school closures, she is finding that being part of the new school community gives her a different perspective on these issues.

Two months into the school year finds Beth grappling with the differences between schools, trying to make sense of how she and her family fit into these two communities.

We’re joined by Michelle Adams, Constitutional Law Professor at Cardozo School of Law, who is writing a book on Milliken v Bradley, a case that functionally halted the promise of Brown v Board at the city limits, allowing all-white suburbs (created through policies like redlining) to maintain all-white schools.

As a Black man who grew up in predominantly White spaces, going to the “best” schools, JPB Gerald brings a unique perspective on Whiteness. We talk about meritocracy, how individual choices make up “THE SYSTEM”, self interest as a justification for racism, and what people can do to push back on all of this now, in the midst of a pandemic, but also after.

IntegrateNYC is a youth led organization fighting for integration and equity in NYC schools. We’re joined by two high school students to talk about why integration matters, and what real integration looks like.

Today, May 17th, is the 66th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision. Last year, we created a 6 part mini-series to commemorate the 65th anniversary, and we’re going to be revisiting that mini-series over the next 6 weeks.

We find ourselves in the most segregated school environment imaginable – quarantined at home. The inequities are glaring and the needs of our communities are all too real. We discuss making this time at home reflective of our values with Garrett Bucks – an anti-racist organizer, writer, and father of two.

The first of a two-part series looking at how we assess school quality, and how that impacts our decisions around where to live and where to send our kids to school. How we define “good” and “bad” schools is a huge part of the smog we often talk about at Integrated Schools – and these two episodes get into the problems with the data we’re using, and the implications of that on the larger education system, and society as a whole.

Before we head off to spend the holidays with our friends and families, we want to end 2019 on a hopeful note. Creating enduring political change — like an end to school segregation — begins with just 3.5% of actively engaged participants. Can we do it?

Dr. Kfir Mordechay joins us to discuss gentrification and school segregation. In many places we are living together, but still not learning together. What are the impacts of that disconnect?

Transitions aren’t always easy, but both Beth and her daughters reflect on the ways they’ve grown.

Race, parenting, and privilege. This 5-part series will explore how our choices about school shape where we belong, who we call “We.”

Part 1 – Something feels wrong at the “good” school.

We’re joined by Dr. Matt Delmont who literally wrote the book on busing. We talk about the centering of White feelings that happened in the north, as the terms for debating desegregation were set.

As we barrel into the new school year, keeping equity in focus is difficult. From childcare collectives to pandemic pods, the options facing privileged parents can feel overwhelming. Dr. Shayla Reese Griffin helps us center equity as we consider the fall, and asks us to consider what our obligations are to our public institutions and to each other.

The stories we tell about past efforts at desegregation often overlook the excellence in Black schools prior to Brown v. Board, and the organized, grassroots work from White women to maintain White superiority at the local level despite federal efforts towards desegregation. In an edited version of the NCSD 2020 Conference Keynote, we hear from Dr. Vanessa Siddle- Walker and Dr. Elizabeth McRea, in a conversation facilitated by Dani McClain. In opening remarks from Courtney Martin, and closing remarks from Andrew Lefkowits, we are asked to conjure the late Integrated Schools founder, Courtney Everts Mykytyn, and to reflect on her impact on the integration movement.

We’re joined by Matt Gonzales, the founder and director of the Integration and Innovation Initiative at the NYU Metro Center to discuss what equity looks like in the midst of this crisis, and how we can leverage community, relationships, and vulnerability to improve our educational system on the other side.

Choosing a school, as a white and / or privileged person can feel overwhelming. If you are prepared to set aside test scores and school ratings, what should take their place? We’re joined by two moms who are thinking through this decision for their soon-to-be elementary school kids.

Our history of segregation has left a breach in education that may require a reparations lens to repair. We’re joined by Professor Justin Hansford, from Howard Law School, to discuss.

Albert, a Taiwanese American father of three, found himself in crisis. Honoring his parents and the ways they sacrificed to get him a “good” education, while also honoring the way his faith called him to justice seemed impossible. He shares his story.

We’re launching a Patreon – patreon.com/integratedschools. Please support this important work!

Being in between can be lonely, but it can also be liberating. Beth reflects on the past year.

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.”

Episodes release every day starting Monday, Oct 14th. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

In 2017, Scene On Radio released a series called Seeing White. We’re thrilled to bring you some highlights, and some thoughts about how the idea of Whiteness impacts discussions of school integration.