Let’s talk about school segregation, let’s talk about real estate.
An update on the SFUSD Enrollment conversation
Last night I participated in a great discussion last night at the Ad Hoc Student Assignment Committee, Board of Education Commissioners continued to explore ways to revise our school enrollment system. Shoutout to district staff for putting together a thoughtful presentation and for Commissioner Norton for leading a great discussion.
I encourage folks to review the presentation and listen to the audio recording. (These are uploaded on the district website, but are not all easy to find. So I’m reposting on my blog.)
Listen to the audio of the meeting:
This is an important conversation…
I will continue to reiterate, I wish this discussion was focused on the root causes of segregation in our schools, rather than mechanics of school placement. Algorithms are not the answer. Nonetheless, this conversation is happening. And I think it can be an important one… if we talk about the larger systems at work.
You can’t talk about school segregation without talking about real estate. Just because we don’t actively practice redlining today, doesn’t mean it’s impacts aren’t being felt today.
Just a few days ago Newsday published an investigative article titled Long Island Divided, which makes clear the connection between housing discrimination and school segregation. In fact, the connections are so evident, the authors decided to write a whole piece about it titled, “Schools as a Selling Point where it states:
““Discussions about schools can raise questions about steering if there is a correlation between the quality of the schools and neighborhood racial composition.”Characterizations about schools with low test scores, for example, or comments that reference a “‘community with declining schools’ become code words for racial or other differences in the community,” the post states. As a result, such comments become “fair-housing issues.””— National Realtors Association Website, 2014
Ask yourself about our city’s zoning history. Where are multi-family homes built? Where is low-income housing built? Where are the single-family CONTINUE READING: Let's talk about school segregation, let's talk about real estate. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM
