The Integrated Schools Podcast

Andrew Lefkowits, Val Brown, Courtney Mykytyn
The Integrated Schools Podcast
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Hosts, Andrew, a White dad from Denver, and, Val, a Black mom from North Carolina, dig into topics about race, parenting, and school segregation. With a variety of guests ranging from parents to experts, these conversation strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

  1. Reflections on Season 11

    3D AGO

    Reflections on Season 11

    As Season 11 comes to a close, we wanted to spend some time reflecting on the lessons we've learned from this season and what we hope for in Season 12. We'll be off for the summer with a few possible bonus episodes, and back for real in the fall. In the mean time, we want to express our deepest appreciation for a number of people who make this podcast run.  Firstly, to all of our guests, thank you for joining us, for sharing your stories and your wisdom with us. Being in conversation with each of you is a true gift that we do not take likely.  To the podcast team - Darci, Jennifer, Jenna, Anna, Susan, Courtney - thank you for your work on transcripts and promotional material, but more importantly for your thought partnership on each episode and the entire season. The conversations you share, the insights you bring are what keeps the podcast relevant and topical and helps us dive into nuanced topics knowing you're listening and thinking about these things along side of us.  To our Patreon supporters and Integrated Schools donors, your belief in this work and your willingness to support it with your financial resources isn't something we take for granted. Your belief in us keeps us invested in the work and motivates us to always make the best episodes we can.  And finally, to all of you, our listeners, it is truly and honor to be in this with each and every one of you as we try to know better and do better.  Until next season! ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! ________________ Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    30 min
  2. The Intersection of Private Decisions and Public Responsibility

    MAY 28

    The Intersection of Private Decisions and Public Responsibility

    “Having my children in public school was something that I wanted to do with people in my community. It was a commitment that we were making together. And then when I saw folks leaving, it felt like a betrayal.” – Stephanie Foreman.Where we send our kids to school is, for many, a complicated decision. We struggle to weigh multiple factors- curriculum and teachers, diversity of the student body, the commute and hours, not to mention what role we want to play in supporting the institutions where our kids spend 8 hours a day.  Drs. Stephanie Foreman and Lisa Sibbett are educational researchers in the Pacific Northwest and both decided to send their kids to public schools after weighing many factors. However, they saw many of their colleagues, who were also working to support education, and also expressed a belief in the importance of public schools, opting out, and instead sending their kids to private schools.  Rather than write these people off, they decided to use their educational research skills to better understand the choice these families were making, what the impact was for them, and their families, and what tools might be best suited to reconnect those families to public schools, whether by bringing their kids back, or, at a minimum, advocating on behalf of public education. They join us to share what they learned, and help us keep an open mind as we think about the choices people make for schooling.  ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! ________________ LINKS:Robin DiAngelo's Rules of Engagement for White FragilityLisa's Substack - The Auntie Bulletin S11E16 - Advocating for Black Educator Wellness with Asia Lyons  Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    55 min
  3. Advocating for Black Educator Wellness with Asia Lyons

    MAY 14

    Advocating for Black Educator Wellness with Asia Lyons

    “I hope that you know that I believe you, the community of listeners believes you, and that's good enough.” Dr. Asia Lyons  Dr. Asia Lyons is the host of 'The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators' where she practices archival justice by sharing the stories of Black educators who have left the classroom. Her own journey to education and then out of the classroom led her work both on the podcast, and in creating intentional spaces of healing for Black educators. Dr. Lyons's work focuses on the less sexy, but often more important work of retaining Black educators. Recruitment is a crucial starting point, but if we can't create spaces of wellness for Black educators, retention will always be a challenge. Dr. Lyons encourages all of us to speak up on behalf of Black educators, to create spaces of healing, and to advocate for justice at least as loudly as the voices who aren't.  ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! ________________ LINKS:The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black EducatorsWilliam A Smith - who coined the term Racial Battle FatigueTaking Care and Moving Forward with Dr. LaShaune StittBoundaries, Burnout and Black educator Wellness with Josephine Ampaw-GreeneS11E14 – What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on the Failures of IntegrationS10E15 – Rebuilding The Black Educator Pipeline with Sharif El-MekkiS10E14 – Jim Crow’s Pink Slip with Dr. Leslie FenwickS11E8 – Gratitude and Validation: One Family’s Journey Through Integrated SchoolsS11E15 – Unearthing Joy: Gholdy Muhammad on Teaching with Love Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    49 min
  4. Unearthing Joy: Gholdy Muhammad on Teaching with Love

    APR 30

    Unearthing Joy: Gholdy Muhammad on Teaching with Love

    "If we're not centering children’s humanity through love, there's no strategy, no professional book or instructional method in the world that can prepare the teacher to elevate the child." - Dr. Gholdy Muhammad Identity, skills, intellectualism, criticality, and joy. These are the five pursuits that Dr. Gholdy Muhammad argues are key to education. Our educational system focuses most of its attention on skills while often overlooking the other pursuits to the detriment of all kids. All people need to know who they are and whose they are, need to put the knowledge they gain into action, need to learn to distinguish between truth and lies, and to critically examine the stories we are told, and everyone needs joy. An education system, not to mention a society, that focuses on all five pursuits has the possibility of bringing out the genius in all of us. Underlying all of these pursuits is love.  Dr. Muhammad joins us to discuss what teaching, parenting, and being part of community can look like with a focus on these pursuits.  ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! ________________ LINKS:Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive LiteracyUnearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and InstructionThe Secret Life of Plants Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    55 min
  5. What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on The Failures of Integration

    APR 16

    What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on The Failures of Integration

    “At its inception, in the courts, and as a project, integration was deeply contested and Black people were deeply divided about it. ” – Dr. Noliwe Rooks The common narrative about integration often frames it as a clear victory—a moment when American education finally confronted injustice. But Dr. Noliwe Rooks argues the reality is far more complicated. In her new book, Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children, she traces the history of Black education, showing how the pursuit of desegregation sometimes led to profound losses for Black communities. In this conversation, Dr. Rooks discusses the overlooked sacrifices Black communities made as schools integrated, from the closure of vibrant Black-led schools to the erasure of Black educators' roles and perspectives. Through the story of 4 generations of her own family, she reveals how integration initiatives frequently dismissed Black voices and visions for education, leaving systemic inequities intact. This episode challenges us to rethink what integration truly means, and what’s required if education is to fulfill its promise of justice and liberation for all students. ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! ________________ LINKS: Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black ChildrenA Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod BethuneCutting School: The Segrenomics of American EducationS6E9 - BvB@67 - Noliwe Rooks Revisited - Dr. Rooks from our Brown v Board anniversary seriesS11E9: The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim CrowNo Choice Is the “Right” Choice: Black Parents’ Educational Decision-Making in Their Search for a “Good” School - Dr. Linn Posey-MaddoxS10E14 – Jim Crow’s Pink Slip with Dr. Leslie FenwickEp 11 – White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy  Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    59 min
  6. Finding Hope, Together

    APR 2

    Finding Hope, Together

    Last month, integration advocates from around the country gathered for the National Coalition on School Diversity's National Conference to discuss where we find ourselves in this difficult moment. From policy makers to researchers, school leaders to equity advocates, the conference featured many of the brightest minds focusing on how we build up and support an education system that serves all children well. Despite the challenges to education, especially public education, not to mention multiracial public education, attending the conference was inspiring and sustaining. To see several hundred people gather in the face of pushback to reaffirm our commitment to the project of integration provided much needed hope in troubling times. Today we share some conversations with folks from the conference who are committed to a better world and finding hope where they can. LINKS:The National Coalition on School DiversityS10E18 – The 70th Anniversary of Brown v Board – Do It Live!S11E9: The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim CrowNAACP LDF on The Dept of Ed's Dear Colleague Letter Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    39 min
  7. Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism

    MAR 19

    Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism

    Public education is touted as the bedrock of democracy, a leveler of playing fields, and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens. And while that vision is powerful, Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues that it was never intended to be those things for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure.  She joins us to discuss these three separate strands of education and the tools of discipline and punishment, implied intellectual inferiority, and preparation for economic subjugation used to support them.  She leaves us with love, justice and a focus on flourishing as possible antidotes to help us imagine something better.  LINKS:Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South SideOriginal Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of AmericanRacismBughouse Square - Eve Ewing's Podcast with co-ghost, Studs TerkelFaith Ringgold - United States of Attica, 1971Gwendolyn Brooks - We Real CoolHow Watermelons Became a Racist Trope - William R. Black in The AtlanticThe Abigail Fisher caseProject a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica - currently at the Art Institute ChicagoBraiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall KimmererS7E9 – Revisiting Heather McGhee on How Racism Hurts Us All Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    1h 4m
4.8
out of 5
221 Ratings

About

Hosts, Andrew, a White dad from Denver, and, Val, a Black mom from North Carolina, dig into topics about race, parenting, and school segregation. With a variety of guests ranging from parents to experts, these conversation strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

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