Kris Nordstrom of the North Carolina documents the return of segregation in North Carolina and explains how integration can transform the schools and the lives of students.

In the past, North Carolina was an exemplary state in integrating its schools but it has been retreating in recent years.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

“School segregation is not an intractable problem. Policymakers at every level of government can turn to several low-cost and no-cost interventions to ensure students can attend schools that better re ect each community’s demographics. Educators, parents, and community leaders also play an important role in making sure these policies lead to schools that are fully integrated.

FEDERAL EDUCATION LEADERS

“North Carolina’s congressional delegation could facilitate school integration by removing federal funding barriers, enforcing desegregation orders, and implementing inclusive housing policies.

“Currently, federal law prohibits schools from using federal funds to cover the transportation costs of school desegregation. Recent attempts to remove this restriction were thwarted by Republican members of the House of Representatives. Given the substantial bene ts of school integration, federal policymakers should remove this barrier.

”Additionally, federal policymakers should reject proposals for unfettered school choice. Without appropriate guardrails, school choice can exacerbate school segregation.22 President Trump’s budget plan called for substantial increases in federal funding for school choice and charter school expansion.

“Federal leaders can also strengthen civil rights enforcement, particularly within the Department of Education. The Department of Education’s O ce of Civil Rights (OCR) enforces federal civil rights laws in our schools, including enforcement of school desegregation orders. Under Secretary Betsy DeVos, the OCR is reportedly taking a more narrow view of civil rights complaints, ignoring systemic issues.24 The administration’s budget proposal calls for eliminating 46 OCR positions, a reduction of approximately 8 percent.

“Finally, the federal government should reverse course on allowing the use of 529 plan funds on private schools serving students in grades K-12. 529 plans are tax-advantaged savings accounts that—until recently—could only be used for quali ed higher education expenses. The recently passed federal tax bill now allows up to $10,000 annually in 529 plans to be used for expenses at private K-12 schools. This change will likely exacerbate school segregation by subsidizing wealthier families considering private school.

STATE EDUCATION LEADERS

“Members of the North Carolina General Assembly and the State Board of Education can also play a role in creating schools that are more racially and economically integrated.

“General Assembly leaders can mandate the merging of city and county school districts in cases where district boundaries are creating segregated school systems. If leaders are uncomfortable with forcing such a change, they may create nancial incentives to encourage local mergers.

“Lawmakers can also create incentives to encourage districts to more evenly distribute their students across schools. These incentives could include transportation grants for districts implementing is income-based student attendance policies or controlled choice assignment plans. The General Assembly could also provide awards to districts that improve their racial or income-based dissimilarity indices.

“Alternatively, the General Assembly could create disincentives by using school report cards to highlight the degree to which districts are (or are not) segregating their students. It’s o en said that “that which gets measured gets done,” and simply measuring and publishing school segregation measures might spur movement towards more integrated schools.”

What is needed is political will.