One of the least discussed stories in US public education is our decision to walk away from what worked. School integration in the US peaked in 1987, coinciding with the achievement gap between Black and white students reaching its narrowest point. 

What began with the Supreme Court’s Brown ruling in 1954 and was picked up with Title I legislation as a part of the Great Society by Lyndon Johnson, was abandoned by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. In the aftermath schools have resegregated to the point that a typical white student in the US now attends a school where nearly 70% of their classmates are also white, while Black and Latino students are far more likely to attend schools where a majority of students are from minority backgrounds and where poverty rates are higher.

That is the entry point for today’s conversation with author Karin Chenoweth. 

We discussed the fluctuations in student achievement data since the inception of the NAEP in 1971, through the “learning loss” crisis of 2020.

At times this conversation gets wonky and Karin’s dog also makes a guest appearance. But she really knocks it out the part with the “what would you do as Secretary of Education?” question. 

If you wanna do some extended reading this episode started as a conversation on Bluesky. 

Cast of Characters: Karin Chenoweth

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