Giving Compass' Take:

· Shino Tanikawa discusses the challenges Asian-Americans face and why the marginalized communities involved in Mayor de Blasio's school integration efforts should be consulted before implementing policies. Tanikawa suggests that integration in schools would be better solved with an inclusive, participatory process.

· What are some effective ways New York City and other areas can integrate their schools? 

· Read about Mayor De Blasio’s plan to integrate New York City’s high schools.

Dear Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza,

I write as a school integration advocate, racial justice activist, public school mother, and a first-generation Japanese-American.

I have spent years working with other parents to make New York City’s public school system more equitable, facilitating conversations on school integration as a means to dismantle racism in our society. I believe it is past time we address the segregation in New York City public schools, and I agree that something must be done with the specialized high schools — which currently admit few black and Latinx students — as part of this work.

However, I am concerned about how you’ve rolled out this proposal without including the people it will affect.

As opposition mounts and the Asian communities across the city mobilize against your plan, I wanted to share some thoughts so that you are better prepared to create a meaningful dialogue on perhaps the most complex part of the school integration work.

Read the full article about fighting for integrated schools by Shino Tanikawa at Chalkbeat.