# Integrated Schools: Families Choosing Integration

> Integrated Schools is growing a grassroots movement of, by and for parents who are intentionally, joyfully and humbly enrolling our children in integrating schools\.

Generated by Yoast SEO v28.7, this is an llms.txt file, meant for consumption by LLMs.

## Pages
- [Chapters and Network](https://integratedschools.org/chapters/)
- [Our Founder](https://integratedschools.org/about/our-founder/)
- [Leadership Team](https://integratedschools.org/about/leadership-team/)
- [About Us](https://integratedschools.org/about/)
- [Book Club](https://integratedschools.org/book-club/)

## Posts
- [What Nikole Hannah\-Jones's Essay Means for White Families](https://integratedschools.org/what-nikole-hannah-joness-essay-means-for-white-families/): White mom and NYC Chapter Leader Jenny shares her reflections on the Nikole Hannah Jones NYT article and her perspective on her kid's school experience\. 
- [Dispatch from the First Day of High School](https://integratedschools.org/a-dispatch-from-a-parent-of-a-high-schooler/): Nine years ago, Integrated Schools' project manager Anna wrote a post about sending her daughter to kindergarten at their local, global majority, Title I public school — and the internet had a lot of feelings about it\. This is the follow\-up as that kindergartner went off to high school this week\. 
- [Yes, Some Democratic Lawmakers Are Hypocrites\. AND: School Vouchers are still Bad Policy](https://integratedschools.org/yes-some-democratic-lawmakers-are-hypocrites-and-school-vouchers-are-still-bad-policy/): When Democratic lawmakers send their kids to private school while sponsoring legislation against school choice, conservatives call it proof that vouchers should be expanded to everyone\. We can agree that progressive leaders' "do as I say not as I do" behavior sucks, but acknowledging that progressive politicians are hypocrites is not the same as arguing that vouchers work, and the data makes that very clear\.
- [People Like You Do Things Like This](https://integratedschools.org/people-like-you-do-things-like-this-2/): When Courtney Martin was deciding whether to enroll her daughter at a majority\-Black public school in Oakland, Integrated Schools founder Courtney Everts Mykytyn told her something simple: "People like you do things like this\." This post is about what that kind of permission actually does, why the feeling that an integrated school is "impossible" is not common sense but the direct product of racism and disinvestment, and how a connected, visible community of families who choose differently has the power to change what feels normal — for the next family watching, and the one after that\.
- [Not That Communion: A Juneteenth Reading List From the Authors Who Actually Built This Work](https://integratedschools.org/not-that-communion-a-juneteenth-reading-list-from-the-authors-who-actually-built-this-work/): This Juneteenth, we're redirecting the cultural conversation — away from a certain book by a certain Vice President, and toward the Black authors and activists whose ideas have actually built this work\. Noliwe Rooks, Eve Ewing, Nikole Hannah\-Jones, Resmaa Menakem, Heather McGhee, Loretta Ross, and bell hooks — whose Communion came first, and matters more\. AND: buying a book is not the same as doing the work\. Self\-education matters, but it's a beginning, not an arrival\. Read the list\. Then let it change what you do\.

## Book Club
- [Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy](http://box5435.temp.domains/~ntegrbj9/book-club/mothers-of-massive-resistance-white-women-and-the-politics-of-white-supremacy/): Why do white supremacist politics in America remain so powerful? Elizabeth Gillespie McRae argues that the answer lies with white women\. 

Examining racial segregation from 1920s to the 1970s, Mothers of Massive Resistance explores the grassroots workers who maintained the system of racial segregation and Jim Crow\. For decades in rural communities, in university towns, and in New South cities, white women performed myriad duties that upheld white over black: censoring textbooks, denying marriage certificates, deciding on the racial identity of their neighbors, celebrating school choice, canvassing communities for votes, and lobbying elected officials\. They instilled beliefs in racial hierarchies in their children, built national networks, and experimented with a color\-blind political discourse\. Without these mundane, everyday acts, white supremacist politics could not have shaped local, regional, and national politics the way it did or lasted as long as it has\.

With white women at the center of the story, the rise of postwar conservatism looks very different than the male\-dominated narratives of the resistance to Civil Rights\. Women like Nell Battle Lewis, Florence Sillers Ogden, Mary Dawson Cain, and Cornelia Dabney Tucker publicized threats to their Jim Crow world through political organizing, private correspondence, and journalism\. Their efforts began before World War II and the Brown decision and persisted past the 1964 Civil Rights Act and anti\-busing protests\. White women's segregationist politics stretched across the nation, overlapping with and shaping the rise of the New Right\. Mothers of Massive Resistance reveals the diverse ways white women sustained white supremacist politics and thought well beyond the federal legislation that overturned legal segregation\.
- [Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial Inequality Thrives in Good Schools](http://box5435.temp.domains/~ntegrbj9/book-club/despite-the-best-intentions-how-racial-inequality-thrives-in-good-schools/): On the surface, Riverview High School looks like the post\-racial ideal\. Serving an enviably affluent, diverse, and liberal district, the school is well\-funded, its teachers are well\-trained, and many of its students are high achieving\. Yet Riverview has not escaped the same unrelenting question that plagues schools throughout America: why is it that even when all of the circumstances seem right, black and Latino students continue to lag behind their peers?

Through five years' worth of interviews and data\-gathering at Riverview, John Diamond and Amanda Lewis have created a rich and disturbing portrait of the achievement gap that persists more than fifty years after the formal dismantling of segregation\. As students progress from elementary school to middle school to high school, their level of academic achievement increasingly tracks along racial lines, with white and Asian students maintaining higher GPAs and standardized testing scores, taking more advanced classes, and attaining better college admission results than their black and Latino counterparts\. Most research to date has focused on the role of poverty, family stability, and other external influences in explaining poor performance at school, especially in urban contexts\. Diamond and Lewis instead situate their research in a suburban school, and look at what factors within the school itself could be causing the disparity\. Most crucially, they challenge many common explanations of the 'racial achievement gap,' exploring what race actually means in this situation, and why it matters\.

An in\-depth study with far\-reaching consequences, Despite the Best Intentions revolutionizes our understanding of both the knotty problem of academic disparities and the larger question of the color line in American society\.
- [Nikole Hannah\-Jones](http://box5435.temp.domains/~ntegrbj9/book-club/nikole-hannah-jones/): Integrated Schools is unapologetically and enthusiastically part of the Nikole Hannah\-Jones Fan Club – and in March we’ll be doing this with gusto\! Last year we discussed some of her best material for our first ever book club, and now want to revisit our love for her work as we eagerly await the arrival of her’ upcoming book, The Problem we all Live With\.  Even better, all of our discussion ‘homework’ is online; no books to fetch\!
- [Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education](http://box5435.temp.domains/~ntegrbj9/book-club/cutting-school-privatization-segregation-and-the-end-of-public-education/): Integrated Schools is kicking 2018 off with a hard\-hitting look at the relationships between segregation and privatization\. Our January Book Club selection is Noliwe Rooks’ new book Cutting School\.

As excited as we are about reading this book, we are doubly thrilled to discuss it — Dr\. Rooks has graciously offered to join us\!\!\!  So RSVP ASAP below to participate in the casual, online discussion at the end of January and you will get a chance to talk with the author herself\!
- [Enjeti, Hannah\-Jones, AtlanticLIVE](http://box5435.temp.domains/~ntegrbj9/book-club/enjeti-hannah-jones-atlanticlive/): After the summer hiatus, Integrated Schools’ Book Club is back\! Join parents across the country on September 25, 2018 to discuss two articles and a video \(all available free online\)… This session is great for parents who are new to thinking about school integration as well as parents who’ve been in these discussions for awhile…

## Episode
- [S13E2 \- Reflecting on Nikole Hannah\-Jones and the Choice for Integration](https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s13e2-reflecting-on-nikole-hannah-jones-and-the-choice-for-integration/): Ten years after Nikole Hannah\-Jones wrote about choosing an integrated school for her daughter, she's revisiting that decision through her now\-16\-year\-old daughter's eyes, raising difficult questions about school choice, privilege, and the tension between what's best for our own children and what's best for all children\.

We're joined by Marian Dingle, a longtime educator and Black mother of two, and Jenny Devenny, a White mother and Integrated Schools NYC chapter leader, to reflect on Hannah\-Jones's powerful new essay\. Together, we explore what makes a school "good," how race shapes the choices families face, and what it means to stay committed to integration when the work gets complicated\.

One family can't fix a broken system\. But our choices still matter\. How wide can we draw the circle of children we consider "our kids"?
- [S13E1 \- Season 13 Kick Off: Dreaming of the Future](https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s13e1-season-13-kick-off-dreaming-of-the-future/): We're back\! In this kickoff episode, we take stock of the national public education landscape, looking at civil rights rollbacks and privatization schemes alongside local opportunities like district boundary redraws aimed at reducing socioeconomic segregation\. Most of all, we set our sights on the season ahead: tilling the soil for future systemic change, holding our link in the chain, and dreaming together about a truly just, multiracial education system\.   How are you holding your link in the chain this season, and what is your dream for the future of public education?
- [S12E17 \- Reflections on Season 12](https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s12e17-reflections-on-season-12/): As we wrap up Season 12, we're reflecting on the conversations that sustained us through a year marked by uncertainty, challenge, and change\. From belonging and disability justice to school closures, immigration raids, public education advocacy, and the lessons history offers us today, this season reminded us of the power of community and collective action\.
We also hear from listeners navigating school closures, parent organizing, and the everyday joys of integrated schools\. Together, these stories remind us that while we can't predict what comes next, we can keep showing up for one another—and for all of our children\.
- [S12E16:  Carrying the Torch:  The Legacy of Thurgood Marshall from His Granddaughter's Perspective](https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s12e16-carrying-the-torch-the-legacy-of-thurgood-marshall-from-his-granddaughters-perspective/): On the 72nd anniversary of Brown v\. Board of Education, Andrew and Dr\. Val talk with Cecilia Marshall, granddaughter of Justice Thurgood Marshall and founder of the Thurgood Marshall Foundation\. Together, they reflect on the families behind Brown, the sacrifices made in the fight for educational justice, and why public schools remain essential to democracy\.
Ms\. Marshall shares personal stories about knowing Thurgood Marshall simply as “Grandpa,” the responsibility of preserving his legacy, and her vision for a traveling museum bringing civil rights and civics education to communities across the country\.
This conversation explores collective responsibility, the power of diverse public schools, and what it means to keep building bridges in a deeply divided moment\.
- [S12E15: REVISIT: Calling In with Loretta Ross](https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s12e15-revisit-calling-in-with-loretta-ross/): 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\.

## Chapters
- [Pasadena, CA](https://integratedschools.org/chapter/pasadena-ca/): Our local chapter is a for current and prospective Pasadena Unified families to: 
Understand how segregation \(by race, language and dis/ability\) has shaped our school district and our own assumptions
Share what we’re learning as we desegregate our children and seek to integrate our families into our public school communities
Support efforts to ensure our district serves the needs and full potential of all children at every school
- [Jersey City, NJ](https://integratedschools.org/chapter/jersey-city-nj/)
- [Durham, NC](https://integratedschools.org/chapter/durham/)
- [St\. Louis, MO](https://integratedschools.org/chapter/st-louis-mo/)
- [New Orleans, LA](https://integratedschools.org/chapter/new-orleans/)

## Venues
- [Throop Unitarian Universalist Church](https://integratedschools.org/venue/throop-unitarian-universalist-church/)
- [The Roost](https://integratedschools.org/venue/the-roost/)
- [Playground outside of Turkey Thicket Recreation Center](https://integratedschools.org/venue/playground-outside-of-turkey-thicket-recreation-center/)
- [Guglhupf](https://integratedschools.org/venue/guglhupf/)
- [Prodigy Coffee Shop](https://integratedschools.org/venue/prodigy-coffee-shop/)

## Organizers
- [Pasadena Chapter](https://integratedschools.org/organizer/pasadena-chapter/)
- [NYC Chapter](https://integratedschools.org/organizer/nyc-chapter/)
- [Andrew Lefkowits](https://integratedschools.org/organizer/andrew-lefkowits/)

## Events
- [Pasadena Community Conversation](https://integratedschools.org/event/pasadena-community-conversation-2/): Are you hungry for a chance to consider together the future we want for our public schools? For all of our community's children? Then please join us for this community conversation\!
- [Virtual Meeting \- Advocate \- 8pm \-9pm](https://integratedschools.org/event/virtual-meeting-advocate-8pm-9pm/)
- [Virtual Meeting \- Desegregate and Integrate](https://integratedschools.org/event/virtual-meeting-desegregate-and-integrate/)
- [Virtual Meeting \- Raising White Kids \- 8:00pm\-9pm](https://integratedschools.org/event/virtual-meeting-raising-white-kids-800pm-9pm/)
- [Kid\-Friendly, In\-Person Gathering \- 10am \- noon](https://integratedschools.org/event/kid-friendly-in-person-gathering-10am-noon/)

## Series
- [Hamden Book Discussion](https://integratedschools.org/series/hamden-book-discussion/)
- [Minneapolis Chapter Workout Groups \- PM](https://integratedschools.org/series/minneapolis-chapter-workout-groups-pm/)
- [Minneapolis Chapter Workout Group \- AM](https://integratedschools.org/series/minneapolis-chapter-workout-group-am/)

## Categories
- [news](https://integratedschools.org/category/news/)
- [race](https://integratedschools.org/category/race/)
- [our stories](https://integratedschools.org/category/our-stories/)
- [Uncategorized](https://integratedschools.org/category/uncategorized/)
- [integration](https://integratedschools.org/category/integration/)

## Tags
- [ICE](https://integratedschools.org/tag/ice/)
- [walk\-to\-school](https://integratedschools.org/tag/walk-to-school/)
- [drop\-off](https://integratedschools.org/tag/drop-off/)
- [immigrants](https://integratedschools.org/tag/immigrants/)
- [school\-safety](https://integratedschools.org/tag/school-safety/)

## Categories
- [Layouts](https://integratedschools.org/layout_category/layouts/)
- [Footer](https://integratedschools.org/layout_category/footer/)
- [Podcast](https://integratedschools.org/layout_category/podcast/)
- [Blog](https://integratedschools.org/layout_category/blog/)

## Type
- [layout](https://integratedschools.org/layout_type/layout/)
- [module](https://integratedschools.org/layout_type/module/)
- [section](https://integratedschools.org/layout_type/section/)
- [row](https://integratedschools.org/layout_type/row/)

## Module Width
- [regular](https://integratedschools.org/module_width/regular/)

## Scope
- [not\_global](https://integratedschools.org/scope/not_global/)

## Event Categories
- [Denver CO](https://integratedschools.org/all-events/category/denver/)
- [Washington, D\.C\.](https://integratedschools.org/all-events/category/washington-dc/)
- [Hamden, CT](https://integratedschools.org/all-events/category/hamden/)
- [Minneapolis, MN](https://integratedschools.org/all-events/category/minneapolis/)
- [Pasadena, CA](https://integratedschools.org/all-events/category/pasadena/)

## Podcasts
- [Integrated Schools](https://integratedschools.org/series/integrated-schools/)

## Optional
- [Sitemap index](https://integratedschools.org/sitemap_index.xml)