Recently, there was an op-ed piece in the The New York Times opinion pages about school integration (Potter & Quick, 2016). School integration can easily be discussed under the topics of education, or intergroup relations and diversity, but in many ways it is a community issue. In fact, the core arguments surrounding school integration incorporate the values and approaches of community psychology. Particularly, the article, and the broader topic of integration, involve many core values of community psychology such as sense of community, social justice, and citizen participation and empowerment, to name a few (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).
The article discusses the increasingly apparent trend of racial and socioeconomic segregation of schools, due in no small part to such segregation within communities. Potter and Quick (2016) highlight the fact that many schools resist integration efforts as they see it as the responsibility of the communities rather than the responsibility of the schools. In essence, they feel as though communities need to be more integrated, which will in turn lead to the schools becoming more integrated. Some schools, however, have taken steps to change enrollment practices in order to promote integration and diversity (Potter & Quick, 2016). While this may promote the inclusion of previously marginalized populations, could this negatively impact a person’s sense of community? If students are being bused out of their neighborhoods in order to attend more diverse schools, they may unfortunately lose the sense of membership within their own communities. For that reason, it would be the role of community psychologists to balance the need for diversity and the need for a strong and positive sense of community (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).
Potter and Quick (2016) discussed a ruling made by the Pinellas County school board to use increased reliance on residential patterns to determine school zones. This move resulted in thousands of black students, who previously enjoyed the benefits of integration, to be relocated to underperforming schools (Potter & Quick, 2016). This goes against community psychology’s goal of social justice. Social justice refers to the need for equitable distribution of resources within a community, in this case, fair access to equal education (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Due to an increased focus on residential patterns, the Pinellas County school board failed to protect the rights of minority students within the community (Potter & Quick, 2016).
Another aspect of community psychology that lays at the heart of this issue is the need for citizen participation and empowerment. In many ways, the citizens in these segregated communities have to find a way to gain control and actively seek out ways to promote both racial and socioeconomic integration, not only within their schools, but within their neighborhoods. They need to find ways to gather strength in numbers to advocate for themselves and their children. The empowerment of the members of the community, particularly those who have been marginalized, is paramount in the efforts of community psychologists (Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, 2012).
If we address the issue of de facto segregation in schools as a community issue, we are so much more likely to see real change. It is an issue of education as well as intergroup relations and diversity, but one that requires the participation of the community to promote social activism. By developing collaborative relationships with the community, and promoting social programs based on empirical evidence, community psychologists can encourage a stronger sense of community as well as promoting the formation of schools that reflect the rich cultural and socioeconomic diversity of our country.
References
Potter, H., & Quick, K. (2016, February 23). The secret to school integration. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/opinion/the-secret-to-school-integration.html?_r=0
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Hello! School integration, something most people believe is a concern of the past, is a tricky subject. Many of the schools in low economic areas are rated as failing and students do not get the advantages they need in order to break the cycle of poverty they may be experiencing. However, being bused out of their neighborhood may cause them to be on one or several buses for long periods of time. This could cause them to loose study time, not be able to participate in extra-curricular activities and a connection to their neighborhood. The Potter and Quick (2016) ruling you discussed did fail to protect the needs of the minority students if they suddenly had to start attending a failing school. This would be an unfair policy to the students.
However, as difficult as it is for students to have to attend a failing school there can be a better answer to integration and that is for the state and community to work with the school to improve the academic rating of the school. The state needs to look at the academics to see why it is failing and the community, especially the parents, need to work with the schools to encourage students to attend and be sure they have the materials they need. Many times schools are failing because the students are unprepared because of a lack of money for materials and the fact that they may not have enough to eat. If the community were to help provide these needs the students would be able to have better success in their local school. This would improve the schools rating, pride and academics giving these students the ability to stay in their neighborhood, be involved in extra-curricular activities and break the cycle of poverty.
Potter, H., & Quick, K. (2016, February 23). The secret to school integration. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/opinion/the-secret-to-school-integration.html?_r=0