Does school desegregation still matter? When we talk about
education innovation, we usually refer to technology. But what
about a totally different type of innovation: a new generation
of public schools, both charter and traditional, that are
reclaiming the mantle of desegregation, insisting that it is
*not* okay for rich kids and poor kids, white kids and non-white
kids, to sit in separate classrooms? Schools like Charles Drew
in Atlanta, Blackstone Valley Prep in Rhode Island, and
Community Roots in Brooklyn are responding to the fact that over
the last 30 years, American public education has become
increasingly segregated by race and class. Despite impressive
achievement at some high-poverty schools, research shows racial
and socioeconomic isolation has a real impact on children's
well-being. This is true both for poor children and those from
affluent families. We'll debate whether desegregation still
matters and tackle the challenges -- from tracking to parental
engagement - specific to diverse schools. -