Brown's Promise

Our executive director, Ary Amerikaner joined the Education Rights Institute at the University of Virginia to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and the ERI’s one-year anniversary. This was a fun and important conversation about issues affecting student's access to high-quality education. We're grateful to the ERI for hearing from Brown's Promise!

Last week, our Chief Legal Counsel, Saba Bireda moderated Education Law Center's Litigation Workshop panel. Litigation is an important tool for advocating for education equity in America's schools. Thanks to the ELC for the opportunity to participate in this important. conversation on effective ways to take legal action for inclusive schools!

At the heart of our work are the voices of communities most impacted by persisting education inequities. We were privileged to partner with Pa'lante Transformative Justice to host our most recent community engagement session in Holyoke, MA. We shared a meal and discussed Holyoke's most pressing educational concerns with over 40 local students and residents. 📋Their Concerns: Community members pinpointed the most pressing concerns to Holyoke schools - Inadequate coursework rigor, poor meals, teacher shortages, poor bathroom facilities, and a lack of culturally relevant curriculum. 💡Exploring Solutions: These students and families were open to solutions such as multi-district agreements or county-wide districts, which can be a great solution to bridging gaps in access to resources. Public magnet schools, such as in the system of well-resourced, integrated magnet schools in Hartford, CT, was also a popular solution as they are proven to increase student diversity and expose students to more diverse educational perspectives. Our engagement sessions allow us to explore what tools and solutions work best for each community and equip advocates with a roadmap for change. Check out some of what we discuss in detail at https://lnkd.in/gA-bQZMn

ABC News covers our efforts to remedy persisting school segregation at the state and district level, one of which is public magnet schools. Magnet schools have historically led to increased student diversity by attracting students from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds through specialized educational themes. Watch the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gzXsR5P9

Research shapes educational equity, and the fundamentals are clear: ➡️ School integration produces academic, social, and civic benefits for all students ➡️ School funding matters: Increased funding leads to increased student achievement ➡️ School integration and school funding are interconnected While these principles are clear, much of the supporting research is based on 1960s-era desegregation reforms, implemented at a time when segregation was newly illegal, and resource inequities between schools were MUCH more dramatic than they are today. It is crucial to update the research to fit today’s context, and to understand how today’s patterns of school segregation impact inequities in the quality of our current education system. Read our detailed research agenda at https://lnkd.in/gwwtePpx

“We want to move forward, and we want to ask how those in our community can assist in that educational process.” Community discussions are important for creating equal educational opportunities for all students. If we do not talk about today's segregation and under-resourcing of schools serving Black and Brown students, then change will not happen. That's why we host community engagement sessions: to learn how school segregation affects a particular place, and to talk about ideas to make forward progress. The Monroe County Branch of the NAACP is taking an important step toward ensuring excellent education for all students in their community. https://lnkd.in/eEQic6sd

Brown's Promise is growing! We are happy to introduce our new intern, Priyanka Mukhara! Priyanka Mukhara is a junior at Harvard College studying Social Studies, with a concentration in education policy and race. On campus, she organizes with Harvard's Ethnic Studies Coalition and the Task Force for Asian Progressive Advocacy and Studies and serves on the board of the Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association. From working with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to the Washington-based nonprofit Washington Ethnic Studies Now, Priyanka has a deep passion for racial equity in education! We're excited to have Priyanka on this journey with us to develop well-resourced, integrated schools for all students.

Brown's Promise is growing! We are happy to introduce our new intern, Olivia Roark! Olivia Roark is a senior at Rice University studying Social Policy Analysis and Cognitive Sciences. She grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she first became interested in school integration and education justice through a high school student group called Youth for Equity. Olivia is bilingual (Spanish/English) and is passionate about increasing linguistic, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in schools so that all students can learn from those who are different from them and have access to the resources they deserve. We're excited to have Olivia on this journey with us to develop well-resourced, integrated schools for all students.

Brown's Promise is growing! We are happy to introduce our new legal fellow, Fatema Jaffer to the team! Fatema began her career in education as a mathematics educator and community organizer in her parents’ home region, East Africa, and her hometown, Orlando, Florida. In 2021, she enrolled at Harvard Law School to learn how domestic and foreign laws and policies determine the quality of education a child receives. During law school, Fatema served as Co-President of the African Law Association, Diversity and Equity Managing Editor of the CR-CL Law Review, Team Lead for Defenders, and Student Affairs Co-Chair for Student Government. She pursued clinics and internships in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Washington, DC, to better understand how lawyers utilize movements and coalition building to obtain education justice. We're excited to have Fatema on this journey with us to develop well-resourced, integrated schools for all students.

We had a wonderful time at the Magnet Schools of America Fall Policy Training Conference! Magnet schools are an important tool for creating diverse, engaging learning environments and transcending gerrymandered school boundaries. Thanks to all the attendees and speakers who helped us continue to sharpen our thinking about what's possible for American education.