Cultivating School Integration through Community Partnerships and Specialty Programs

More than sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, racial and economic segregation in American schools is deepening. At the same time, dynamic racial and economic change in cities and suburbs offers new opportunities for intentional school integration. School leaders are an integral part of those opportunities. We draw on the integration theory of choice to explore how leadership can nurture the policies and practices that contribute to diverse, inclusive school communities in four U.S. metropolitan area schools. We purposefully selected the sites with an eye toward variation in grades served (pre-K, elementary, middle and high), locale (e.g., urban, suburban or regional) and commitment to intentionally fostering integration. Based on 22 interviews with a range of school leaders connected to the sites, including principals, directors, assistant principals and superintendents, we find that leaders who implement specialized programming and demonstrate agility with financial and human resources can help support school integration in the face of systemic segregation. We close with recommendations for policy and practice.