School choice is an increasingly important part of today’s educational landscape and this timely volume presents fresh research about the competitive admissions policies of choice systems. Based on their investigation of a unique civil rights challenge to school choice admissions policies in politically and racially divided Buffalo, New York, and the struggle to open its best schools to students of color, authors Orfield and Ayscue contend that without intentional effort, choice systems are likely to exacerbate problems of inequality and segregation. Focusing on issues that will continue to be contested in the courts and in the policy arena, the authors offer research-based recommendations for reducing barriers to enrollment and for creating competitive-admissions choice systems that will allow all students access to important educational opportunities. The book outlines specific steps school systems can take, including developing a district-wide diversity plan, providing more accessible information, conducting holistic admissions processes, expanding the availability of choices, and offering preparation programs to assist students long excluded from these highly competitive schools. Contributors: Natasha Amlani, Jongyeon Ee, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Jenna Tomasello, Brian Woodward “This important book ought to inspire a national debate. I hope it will be widely read.” —Jonathan Kozol, education activist and bestselling author In the News: Buffalo Parents Slam School Distric’s Response to Civil Rights Complaint: “This time around, parents with the District Parent Coordinating Council say that the proposal does not go far enough in addressing their complaints or the recommendations that Orfield proposed earlier this year.” —Excerpt from Education Week (10/1/15)

Where do you look for information on uniting staff and students to combat discrimination? How can you put "what everyone knows is right" into practice? This new book offers the guidance you need to lead your school to true equality. Learn how discrimination can permeate your school and your classroom without overt signs. Find out how to recognize the subtle but potentially damaging things that students and educators say and do. Begin the process by involving teachers, students, and community members. Use your leadership skills to * Encourage teachers to participate in area social services to get to know students and their families * Empower students through participatory decision making * Build partnerships between the school and community with community redevelopment * Involve community leaders in the fight against discrimination Miron combines research with experience and shows how you can develop your own leadership process to resist and eliminate the covert discrimination in your school. Confront the reality of discrimination by creating an atmosphere where bigotry is actively discouraged. A flourishing campus diversity can make positive contributions to the academic and personal lives of students, staff, and the surrounding community. Remake your school into a place where all individuals are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

An in-depth study of school financing examined through the closely decided Supreme Court case that overturned a ruling that found Texas's system for financing its public schools was unconstitutional, signaling the end of an era in the pursuit of equal education for all American citizens.

This inspiring collection of accounts from educators and students is “an essential resource for all those seeking to build an antiracist school system” (Ibram X. Kendi). Since 2016, the Black Lives Matter at School movement has carved a new path for racial justice in education. A growing coalition of educators, students, parents and others have established an annual week of action during the first week of February. This anthology shares vital lessons that have been learned through this important work. In this volume, Bettina Love makes a powerful case for abolitionist teaching, Brian Jones looks at the historical context of the ongoing struggle for racial justice in education, and prominent teacher union leaders discuss the importance of anti-racism in their unions. Black Lives Matter at School includes essays, interviews, poems, resolutions, and more from participants across the country who have been building the movement on the ground.

"The report, "'Like Walking Through a Hailstorm': Discrimination against LGBT Youth in US Schools," documents a range of problems facing LGBT students. The concerns include bullying and harassment, exclusion of LGBT topics from school curricula and resources, restrictions on LGBT student groups, and discrimination and bigotry from both classmates and school personnel on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity"--Publisher's description.

While most school systems have undergone some formal desegregation to eliminate inequities in access to education, inequities--and discrimination--nonetheless remain. In this study covering 170 major school districts during the years between 1968 and 1984, the authors discuss the remaining obstacles to equal opportunity in education. Clustering of students into separate classes or groups of classes based on perceived learning potential is one form of discrimination that remains; disciplinary policy resulting in suspension or expulsion is the other. Based on their findings, Meier, Stewart, and England argue that the single most important factor in improving the access of black students to equal educational opportunities is having black teachers in the classroom, a goal attainable through use of the political system. "In a very concise book, Meier, Stewart, and England . . . build a damning case against standard education policies as contributors to the resegregation of our schools. . . . In the process, they give us an excellent example of what good policy analysis is by carefully blending empirical documentation with evaluation and prescription."--Mary Kweit, Public Administration Review