As many schools across America have re-segregated along racial and ethnic lines, several school leaders are looking for solutions that can help reverse course. Recognizing the several academic and social benefits stemming from diverse students learning together, some school districts in the South have turned to using students' socioeconomic backgrounds (SES) to help integrate schools.

The Century Foundation reports that, nationwide, 32 of the 91 schools and districts using SES strategies are located in the southern federal Region II (Potter, et al., 2016). The IDRA EAC-South  has assisted several districts with school integration plans and is available to assist others in Region II* with technical assistance in this area.

Since the late 1960s, the South has been the most desegregated region of the country for Black and White students; however, this progress has been rapidly unraveling over the past three decades (Orfield & Frankenberg, 2014). Latino students, who now out-number Black students in public schools in the South, attend 90 percent to 100 percent minority schools at higher rates than Black students. Many districts in the South were once under court orders to desegregate, but a number of these cases have ended.

Districts still valuing diverse schools must be cognizant of applicable legal standards that curtail some types of voluntary efforts. But importantly, the Supreme Court found in 2007 compelling reasons that school districts would want to adopt policies to (1) reduce racial isolation, and (2) create diverse schools. These reasons are supported by research, described below, and also were foundational to the guidance released by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice in 2011 about race-conscious policies in K-12 schools .  -  Keep reading

Schools nationwide are struggling to hire a teacher workforce that reflects the racial diversity of their communities, an endeavor made even more difficult by the national teacher shortage (Sutcher, et al., 2016). However, recruiting and retaining a diverse teacher workforce that includes teachers of color is crucial. A more robust pipeline of teachers of color can help stem shortages in hard-to-staff schools (Simon & Johnson, 2015).

The IDRA EAC-South is currently assisting several districts (both those under federal desegregation orders and others who have self-identified the need to diversify their staff) in addressing these issues by helping districts use research-based solutions to recruit, hire and retain teachers of color. IDRA EAC-South is ready to assist other districts and does not operate as an enforcement agency.

Why We Need More Teachers of Color

Research shows that teachers of color tend to have higher expectations of students of color and are associated with better student achievement, lower absenteeism and fewer suspensions for students of color (Albert Shanker Institute, 2015; Holt & Gershenson, 2015). They also are important role models for all students (U.S. Department of Education, 2016)...

Following are three strategies for recruitment and retention.  -  Keep reading

Listen to our podcast episode: How Inclusive Education Shapes Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

In recognition of University of Houston-Downtown President Emeritus Max Castillo's service on the IDRA board of directors and to higher education, IDRA has established the IDRA Scholarship Endowment in Urban Education at UHD in his honor. Dr. Castillo served on the IDRA board for almost 30 years and had a 17-year tenure with UHD.

"IDRA is grateful to work for the day when we can assure educational opportunity for every child - regardless of their educational, cultural or economic background," said María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel, IDRA President & CEO.

Dr. Castillo told Skyline News: "The focus of the award should be on the important work that IDRA accomplishes every day to empower public school leadership and teachers to provide opportunities for every student to be successful and attain their highest educational goal. I am honored that this endowment is established in my honor, but I am focused on the important work of IDRA as it continues to work toward this objective."

Since his retirement eight years ago, Dr. Castillo's work continues to bring recognition to the university and positively impacts the public and higher education communities.