The Integrated Schools Podcast

For the finale of Season 2, we’re joined by Dr. Shelly Arsneault, Professor of Political Science & Public Administration at California State Fullerton, who is collaborating on an upcoming book called Our Kids, Our Money, and Our Schools: The Persistence of Inequality in Public School Finance. We discuss the many ways in which private money is funneled into public schools – which schools get it...

In this episode we bring Anna back to grapple with a few things that have been on our minds of late. We discuss the  David Kirkland episode  (Ep. 14 — be sure to listen if you haven’t!) and answer some listener questions. Dr. Kirkland cautioned us around the centering of Whiteness in the work of integration. We dig in to that, as well as discuss the power of language in this work. Taking on a few...

Dr. Allison Roda (Molloy College)  joins us to discuss Gifted and Talented programs and segregation. Gifted programs (sometimes called G/T, GATE, TAG, etc) have long been criticized for serving a disproportionately large percentage of White and/or privileged students. Dr. Roda’s research looks at how access to these programs is often ‘gamed’ by White/privileged families. In this episode, we discus...

A thought leader on educational justice,  Dr. David Kirkland (NYU)  joins us for a meta discussion around school integration. He shares a powerful vision of integration from a racial justice framework; it is one that is grounded in democratic participation and the sharing of resources and one that involves us all in the deliberation of what counts as knowledge, the language of curriculum, and the...

Dual Language programs are exploding in popularity across the country — and particularly among White &/or privileged families in gentrifying communities. In this episode, we talk with  Dr. Sofia Chaparro  about her research following the establishment of one such program. Providing some overview of Dual Language issues, this conversation looks at the potential for these spaces as well as the w...

In this episode we’re joined by Kelly from NYC to talk about how we as white &/or privileged families show up in integrating schools. What does ‘colonizing’ mean in this context and, most importantly, how can we be thoughtful about not centering whiteness? We dig in to some of the ways integration can go sideways because of how integrating parents see things as “right” when they are often just...

Professor and author, Dr. Elizabeth McRae, discusses her new book - Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy. This is a compelling history of the everyday work that White women have undertaken to promote and reinforce racial segregation in America’s public schools. While legislation dominates the discourse, Dr. McRae reveals the many ways that White women have...

We’re back! After a break over the holidays, we’re kicking off Season 2 of the Integrated Schools Podcast with a basic question – why does one person’s choice matter? What impact does your choice have for your kid, for your school, and for the system. We’ve got Denise from Santa Fe back, and we try to dig in – does your choice change anything? If so, for whom? Is it integration when we are talking...

Last week we talked about the fear we often hear around your kid being the “Only One” from the perspective of parents with kids who are currently in that position. In this episode, we look at it a little differently. Andrew looks back on his experience as the Only One White kid in his elementary school in a conversation with Erin, who reflects upon her experiences as the Only One Black kid in her...

The Smog – is all of the things that we hear and say about schools and parenting that push us towards greater segregation. “I don’t want my kid to be the only one” is one of these. It’s a tricky subject, so we’re going to break it up into two parts. Part 1- today’s episode – is from the perspective of parents with kids who are currently the  Only One . It can be challenging to navigate. We talk wi...

Good intentions don’t always feel so good. In this episode, we talk with Vicky, a Mexican mom whose kids attend an integrated school in a gentrifying neighborhood. Vicky shares what it feels like to be “saved” by some of the White &/or privileged families at her kids’ schools (spoiler: not so great).  Relationships are hard and trust takes time to build.  And privilege, especially privilege un...

We couldn’t pull off a full episode this week, but we did want to update you on all the other things happening at Integrated Schools. The Two Tour Pledge  – sign on here. Mapping of how White &/or Privileged Families Interact with School Integration  – our video overview. Parent to Parent Program  – get connected with someone who is sending their kids to an integrating school. Or, just visit o...

There are lots of great schools without many White kids, however, when White parents start to integrate a global majority school because they think they've found a hidden gem, it can lead in some troubling directions. Anna from LA (you may remember her from Ep 1) joins us to discuss the problems that arise when we come to integration just looking for a hidden gem. We touch on the narrative aro...

A lifelong activist and 20 year veteran of nonprofit work, Chris Stewart has served as the former Director of Outreach and External Affairs for Education Post, the Executive Director of the African American Leadership Forum (AALF), and an elected member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education where he was radicalized by witnessing the many systemic inequities that hold our children ba...

The Smog - is all of the things that we hear and say about schools, often without realizing the ways those things are racialized.  “I don’t want to sacrifice my kid on the altar of social justice“ is just one of many.  The podcast will occasionally feature smog-conversations; the only way the smog changes is if we engage with these ideas directly. We're joined today by Denise from Santa Fe, wh...

Professor and author, Dr. Margaret Hagerman, discusses her new book - White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege in a Racially Divided America. Dr. Hagerman conducted an ethnography of a community in the mid-west. She spent two years living in a community and interviewing white, wealthy families and their middle school aged children on their ideas about race, education, privilege, etc. We discuss her w...

We're joined by the Bordon family - Jenny (mom), Scott (dad), and Olivia (10th grade). In choosing a school for their daughters, they started out following the narrative of how people with the privilege of choose a school should go about it. After a conversation with their school district about who has has that privilege and the segregation that results from it, they made a change and sent bot...

Welcome to the Integrated Schools Podcast – Conversations about race, privilege, education, parenting and schools. This introduction gives an overview of Integrated Schools and what you can expect from this podcast. Courtney from LA, Anna from LA, and Sarah from Houston talk about their experiences choosing integrated schools, why IntegratedSchools.org exists, and the importance of showing up in i...

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