The Integrated Schools Podcast

As we wrap up another school year, we're taking a moment to reflect on the conversations, challenges, and lessons that shaped Season 12. This year, we explored what it means to build belonging, strengthen community, advocate for public education, and stay connected through uncertainty. Along the way, we learned from educators, organizers, authors, students, parents, and community members who r...

On the 72nd anniversary of  Brown v. Board of Education , Andrew and Dr. Val sit down with  Cecilia Marshall  — granddaughter of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and founder of the newly launched  Thurgood Marshall Foundation . Together, they reflect on what it means to carry forward a legacy rooted not in individual heroism, but in collective courage, sacrifice, and community responsibilit...

We're revisiting our conversation with Dr. Loretta Ross because her book,  Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel , is the Integrated Schools book club pick for this month. You can register for one of our amazing, free book club sessions  here . We’re joined by MacArthur “Genius” and legendary activist Dr. Loretta Ross for a conversation that left us grounded, ch...

We’re going back to the archives today to revisit a conversation with Heather McGhee. In February of 2021, Heather McGhee’s book,  The Sum of Us  came out. With a focus on the ways in which racism harms everyone, and the potential good that can come from cross-racial coalitions, the book was exciting to us. When we realized that Integrated Schools was featured prominently in the chapter about educ...

We're joined by YA author, María Dolores Águila to uncover the largely untold story of the 1931  Lemon Grove Incident —the first successful school desegregation case in California, led by Mexican and Mexican American families. Through her book  A Sea of Lemon Trees , Maria invites us into the world of 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez, a child asked to carry the weight of his community’s fight for e...

What happens when we stop thinking about schools as buildings—and start seeing them as the ecosystems that hold our communities together? In this episode, we sit with Dr. Mara Tieken to explore school closures not as isolated decisions, but as part of a broader pattern of  spatial injustice —where resources, opportunities, and care are unevenly distributed based on where we live. Together, we wres...

In this episode, Andrew and Dr. Val are joined by Logan Tilton, a history student at North Carolina Central University and one of the  Levine Museum of the New South’ s  fellowship  students. Together, they reflect on what it means to learn history not as a list of dates and names, but as a living story shaped by community, struggle, resilience, and collective memory. Drawing from a powerful fello...

When crisis comes for one of us, it comes for all of us. In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Dr. Val and Andrew sit down with two parent leaders in Minneapolis—Carina (a White mom and longtime bridge-builder in dual language spaces) and Cisne (a Spanish-speaking immigrant mom and vice president of their dual language parent organization)—to talk about what it means to care for our communit...

What does it mean to  outlast  backlash? In this episode, we’re joined by  Dr. Danielle Wingfield —legal historian, law professor, and public education advocate—whose work sits at the intersection of history, civil rights, democracy, and family. Together, we trace the long arc of resistance to public education, from enslavement and segregation to today’s fights over curriculum, parental rights, an...

  Join the conversation by registering for one of our upcoming  Book Club sessions !  The Integrated Schools Podcast returns with a great conversation with  Emily Ladau , disability rights activist and author of  Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally . Ladau describes herself as "passionate about having conversations about disability and really engaging peop...

As we come to the end of 2025, we wanted to pause together—to reflect on a year that has been emotionally heavy, nationally turbulent, and deeply personal. This year, our families have been in the midst of big transitions. We talk about what it’s been like to launch a child toward adulthood, to navigate new middle and high schools, and to sit with the uncertainty that comes with parenting when the...

We’re joined by MacArthur “Genius” and legendary activist Dr. Loretta Ross for a conversation that left us grounded, challenged, and deeply moved. From her early work in reproductive justice and anti-violence movements, to her current mission disrupting “call-out culture,” Dr. Ross offers us a path forward rooted in grace, accountability, and radical love. We explore what it means to “call in” rat...

In this episode, we’re stretching the boundaries of our “big tent”—the messy, hopeful space where we try to build a public education system worthy of  all  our kids. We sat down with  Ms. Keri Rodrigues , President and co-founder of the  National Parents Union , for a conversation recorded inside the U.S. Senate building (a first for us!). Ms. Rodrigues brings her whole self into this work: mother...

What happens when over 600 educators, students, organizers, and advocates gather in community to center racial equity and storytelling? We found out at this year’s  Color of Education Summit  in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this episode, Andrew takes us inside the summit—hosted by the  Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity —to hear voices from across the state and country. From...

 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 dig into why relationships—especially across lines of race and class—are core to any multiracial democracy, what it looks like for White families to show up  without...

What does it mean to truly know who you are—and how might that knowing shape what you give back to the world? In this episode, we’re joined by  Byron Sanders —educator, CEO, community leader, and newly elected Dallas ISD school board member—for a vulnerable, expansive conversation about identity, purpose, and the responsibility that comes with our gifts. Byron shares a deeply personal story of fin...

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. LINKS: Parents as Partners: Building Antiracist School Communities  - Dr. Val and Andrew on the Raising Antiracist Ki...

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism is the Integrated Schools Book Club pick for the fall. So we thought we'd revisit our episode with Dr. Ewing. If you've never attended Book Club , it's a wonderful to chance to chat with folks from around the country who are interested in school integration. We have small groups and g...

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. LINKS:  A blog post version of this episode.  Visit our  Bookshop.org storefront  to suppor...

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. In the mean time, we want to express our deepest appreciation for a number of people who make this podcast run.  Firstly, to all of our guests, t...

“Having my children in public school was something that I wanted to do with people in my community. It was a commitment that we were making together. And then when I saw folks leaving, it felt like a betrayal.” – Stephanie Forman. Where we send our kids to school is, for many, a complicated decision. We struggle to weigh multiple factors- curriculum and teachers, diversity of the student body, the...

“I hope that you know that I believe you, the community of listeners believes you, and that's good enough.” Dr. Asia Lyons   Dr. Asia Lyons  is the host of ' The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators ' where she practices archival justice by sharing the stories of Black educators who have left the classroom. Her own journey to education and then out of the classroom led her wor...

"If we're not centering children’s humanity through love, there's no strategy, no professional book or instructional method in the world that can prepare the teacher to elevate the child." - Dr. Gholdy Muhammad Identity, skills, intellectualism, criticality, and joy. These are the five pursuits that Dr. Gholdy Muhammad argues are key to education. Our educational system focuses mos...

“At its inception, in the courts, and as a project, integration was deeply contested and Black people were deeply divided about it. ” –  Dr. Noliwe Rooks 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 is far more complicated. In her new book,  Integrated: How American S...

Last month, integration advocates from around the country gathered for the National Coalition on School Diversity 's National Conference to discuss where we find ourselves in this difficult moment. From policy makers to researchers, school leaders to equity advocates, the conference featured many of the brightest minds focusing on how we build up and support an education system that serves all...