There’s a difference between feeling like you belong in a space and that that space belongs to you. Dr. Shanette Porter has studied schools that have created that sense of belonging, and found that not only are strictly academic measures improved (test scores, etc), but other benefits come as well. From increased graduation rates, to decreased disciplinary incidents, to increased attendance, schools that focus on creating a sense of belonging do better for the whole child.
Dr. Porter joins us to share some of her findings, as well as a powerful definition of belonging.
Assistant Secretary of Education, Roberto Rodriguez, joins us to discuss the Fostering Diverse Schools grants recently awarded, and the federal government’s role in advocating for integration.
To close out the year, we share listener voice memos, an update on Integrated Schools, including our new board of directors, and tease a few of the episodes coming in the new year!
Is a child ever too young to learn about race? We’re sharing an episode from Learning for Justice’s Teaching Hard History podcast today that answers that question with a resounding no. One of our summer interns, Jaden González, brought us the episode and joins to discuss it, along with his own racial identity development as a Puerto Rican growing up in New York City with a multiracial family.
Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law unveiled institutionalized racial segregation and its lingering impacts on our country. The ways that we are segregated today were caused by intentional governmental policies, and we have yet to redress the harm caused. Richard’s daughter Leah, joined him to write Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. They both join us to talk about the books and role we all have to play in creating the true multiracial democracy we are striving for.
