FURTHERING SCHOOL INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES - A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANUAL FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT STAKEHOLDERS

Oct 15, 2026

A professional development manual supporting school district stakeholders in advancing school integration efforts within local communities. It explains how the desegregation promise after Brown v. Board of Education (1954) remains unmet and why inequitable opportunities continue to produce disparities. The manual provides a professional learning session template with goals, objectives, and anticipated outcomes, alongside session schedule and preparation guidance for facilitating discussion, using vocabulary and data tools, and developing actionable integration plans.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

About this Tool

Preparing for the Session

Setting Up

Session Schedule

FURTHERING SCHOOL INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES: A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANUAL FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT STAKEHOLDERS Created by: Sarah Diem, Sarah W. Walters, & Madeline W. Good Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center February 2022 About the Centers Great Lakes Equity Center (Center) is an educational research and service center located in Indiana University’s School of Education at IUPUI. The Center engages inequity-focused technical assistance and related research with educational and community agencies focused on systemic improvements to serve all learners with particular focus on educational access, participation and outcomes for those who have been historically marginalized. Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center is a project of the Center and provides technical assistance related to educational equity based on student race, national origin, sex, and religion at no cost to public educational agencies throughout its 13-state region in the Midwest and Plains. Introduction Nearly 70 years after one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings was handed down in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declaring segregated schools unconstitutional, the promise of desegregation has remained unfulfilled. Indeed, in many communities across the nation, school districts have been resegregating and students are attending schools where the majority of students look like them (Orfield & Jarvie, 2020; Orfield & Lee, 2007) . However, there are still actions that can be taken to address the extant disparities in schools that exist in large part because of the inequitable opportunities provided to children attending schools that are predominantly comprised of low-income students and students of color (Scott et al. , 2020) . Moreover, there is still a desire by many at various levels of government to address the existent racial and socioeconomic segregation and work to increase diversity in public schools (Potter & Burris, 2020; Strength in Diversity Act, 2020) . School districts’ experiences with desegregation varies widely depending on their geographic and sociopolitical contexts (Diem, 2012) . Additionally, in an educational context that is much different than the one that existed when Brown (1954) was decided, where now the majority of students attending public schools are students of color, school choice has expanded, and attacks on public education have sharpened, school integration continues to be one step among many that is necessary in achieving equity across our public school districts. This Equity Tool seeks to further school integration efforts in school communities by offering a professional learning session that provides resources and activities for district stakeholders to engage in, better evaluate where their school communities are in the school integration process, and where they would like to go in the future. Each activity in the professional learning session is specifically designed to build off the previous one with the final activity of the session leading to action that can occur in the school community that attends to school integration. Copyright © 2022 by Great Lakes Equity Center -1- About this Tool The purpose of this Equity Tool is to provide a template and resources for a professional learning session focused on educating school district stakeholders about how to further school integration efforts in their local communities. The goals of this session are: • To educate school district stakeholders about the benefits and challenges associated with school integration. • To teach school district stakeholders how to support and advocate for school integration in their local communities. • To encourage school district stakeholders to commit to school integration in their local communities. The objectives of this session are: • To facilitate discussion regarding the importance of school integration by introducing vocabulary, language, data, and policy tool

FAQs

What problem does the manual address regarding school integration?

It explains that the promise of desegregation remains unfulfilled and that many communities continue to resegregate schools, leading students to attend schools dominated by students like them.

What are the stated goals and objectives of the professional learning session?

The session aims to educate stakeholders on benefits and challenges, teach them how to support and advocate for integration, and encourage commitment. Objectives include facilitating discussion using vocabulary, language, data, and policy tools, and helping stakeholders implement actionable steps.

Who should facilitate the session and when should it take place?

The manual recommends a knowledgeable school district staff member or community member familiar with local integration context while able to connect local work to state and federal efforts. It should be scheduled at a day/time when the most participants are likely to attend, tailored to the target group (e.g., teachers during a workday).

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West