Including Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity in ESSA District Plans. Policy Brief 10

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides an opening for states and local school districts to include racial and socioeconomic (SES) diversity as components of their improvement plans. While only one state (New York) took advantage of this opportunity in the initial round of state ESSA plans, there are several ways that school districts can include integration and reduction of racial or SES isolation into their local ESSA implementation plans, consistent with the goals set out in their state plans. Two of the most important planning documents are the Title I Comprehensive Support and Improvement Plans and the Targeted Support and Improvement Plans. Title IV of ESSA is also a potential source of integration-related funds for districts. This guide explores some of the openings that are most apparent to the National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD). We hope that sharing these ideas will help state and local leaders and advocates generate even more ideas.