Events for Intentionally Integrated Schools

At this conference, over 3,000 participants will engage in learning and networking opportunities designed to increase their knowledge of family engagement and Community Schools, sharpen their skillsets to lead collaboratively, and implement effective strategies. All are welcome: parent and youth leaders; school and district leaders; community organizers and union activists; elected officials; Community School coordinators and initiative leaders; education, justice, and health system professionals; early childhood educators; university partners; disability advocates; researchers; and more.

Systematic inequities continue to plague the United States in housing, education, employment, and wealth, among other areas. While efforts over the past decades to address these issues have resulted in some progress, they have failed to substantially narrow the gaps that exist along racial lines. There remain deep and enduring variations in the life outcomes of racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

On June 8, as part of the fourteenth annual A. Alfred Taubman Forum on Public Policy, Governance Studies at Brookings will host a virtual discussion on ways to improve racial equity in America. Experts will present ideas on ways to mitigate bias and discrimination and generate greater equity in social, economic, and political outcomes.

The educator workforce faces two critical challenges: teacher shortages and a lack of educator diversity. Although not new but certainly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, these related challenges are frequently covered in the news, prioritized in strategic plans at the district and state levels, and debated by researchers. Workforce data illustrate that educator shortages and the lack of educator diversity disproportionately affect some schools, and in turn, some students. Targeted efforts are needed to ameliorate educator shortages at specific schools and in specific academic subjects. Shortages and diversity are sometimes addressed separately or as part of many related themes. However, an integrated approach—where both are addressed in tandem—offers the strongest payoff. This webinar and our upcoming paper focus on three critical realities in education: – Teacher shortages are not equitable; they disproportionately affect underserved students. – Students of non-white racial/ethnic backgrounds generally do not have access to same-race teachers. – These two realities reflect and arise from systemic racism in the field of education and give good reason to address teacher shortages and a lack of educator diversity at the same time. After addressing these realities, we highlight promising strategies that states, districts, education preparation programs, and other education organizations are implementing to address the shortages and lack of diversity. These strategies can serve as models for other education entities that are seeking guidance about an integrated approach.

The 2023 National Charter Schools Conference by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is where the movement meets.

We are a diverse coalition of leaders—the educators, families, and advocates uniquely suited to address the current challenges in public education. Join us as we face these challenges head on and find solutions to the most pressing issues in our schools.

At NCSC23, we bring together the diverse voices in our movement from around the country to unite across broad interests to meet the diverse needs of students. What you get here, you can’t get anywhere else.

We’ll have content centered around these focus areas:

• Staffing and financial challenges
• Academic outcomes and mental health
• Building and engaging a diverse group of advocates
• The future of charter schools and education

These focus areas allowed attendees to dive deeper into relevant and timely content with experts and peers and come away with practical tools and techniques they can implement.

NACSACON is more than just an authorizing conference; it is a leadership conference.

With a wide variety of high-quality sessions led by a diverse group of experts and numerous networking opportunities, you’ll leave NACSACon 2023 fully equipped with the tools, resources, and connections you need to best serve your students and community.

We know you know how important NACSACon 2023 is for your success, and the success of the students in your community, but sometimes there are other things that need to fall into place for final approval before registering.

We’re excited to announce that we will host the 2023 Black Men in Education Convening November 16–18, 2023, in Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. Make plans now to attend. Last year’s event was a sellout! More details to come.

Marking the 10th-year anniversary of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition (DCSC), the 2024 Annual Convening celebrates our community’s work to support, promote, and expand school integration. This year’s gathering will allow members of the Coalition to reflect on our organization’s work as well as their own commitment to the diverse-by-design movement. We will also focus on the importance of equity within advocacy and storytelling in envisioning the next decade of school integration across the country.

See you in Los Angeles in January!