Moving the Needle on Desegregation: Performance Outcomes and Implementation Lessons From Diverse-by-Design Charter Schools

• In Event: School Choice and Questions of Equity

Abstract

Over the last decade, educators and entrepreneurs have created a new kind of charter school that prioritizes enrolling and serving a diverse array of students. These “diverse-by- design” schools use the charter school mechanism to not only counter the increased segregation among public schools, but also to intentionally bring those students together across race, ethnicity, class, and ability. This mixed methods a study of 46 such schools across several regions in California, Colorado, and New York examined the performance outcomes and implementation lessons from intentional diversity. Findings offer implications for charter schools as well as traditional public schools, school districts, and states grappling with how to serve an increasingly diverse student body well.

Authors

• Sarah A. Cordes, Temple University

• Joanna R. Smith, University of Auckland

• Priscilla Wohlstetter, Teachers College, Columbia University