Brown's Promise

We joined 100+ organizations calling on governors to reject the federal voucher tax credit.

We should protect every child’s right to a fully funded public education.
🖊 Join us and sign at the link below before November 3rd!

forms.gle/p6MTa6DxVgpx...

Washington's voucher plan is draining state budgets, especially in places that have already said no to the privatization of their education system.

This is federal overreach, and it is threatening kids' right to an equitable, well-funded public education.

If you're in the D.C. area on 9/25, we encourage you to register and join us at 1p.m. to hear from GeDá as she discusses Brown v. Board, modern school segregation, & our work to address school resource inequities.

Visit the website here for more information:
na.eventscloud.com/website/8593....

We are excited to have our Chief Legal Counsel, GeDá Jones Herbert, joining the Congressional Black Caucus' 2025 Annual Legislative Conference!

Why? Segregated schools often have fewer resources, harsher discipline, and less experienced teachers.

The silver lining? Poverty doesn’t predestinate students to academic failure. We can integrate and equitably fund schools!

Student A: Grows up in poverty, but attends typical schools ➡️only about 6% less likely to graduate on time

Student B: Grows up in poverty AND attends schools with concentrated poverty ➡️ 30 percentage points less likely to graduate on time.

🧵 Poverty doesn’t have to doom kids to fail.

A University of Maryland study of MD schools illustrates this 👇

That’s how we give every child a fair shot at a great education!

Learn more at our webpage here: www.brownspromise.org/concentrated...

This isn’t accidental. School and district lines are often drawn based on poverty and race.

The solution?
✅ Integrated schools
✅ Full and fair funding
✅ Equal access to teachers, curriculum, and other key resources

🧵
Misconception: Family wealth is the primary driver of opportunity gaps.

Reality: Concentrated school poverty matters MORE than individual poverty.

We’ll discuss the history of magnet programs, how leaders can implement them to fight declining enrollment, and examples of bright spots where they are making an impact!

September 9th, 2025, at 12 pm ET

Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

We hope to see you there!

🧵 Calling all education leaders and advocates!

Join us, along with our friends at ‪@tcfdotorg.bsky.social‬, for a webinar introducing our new resource, “When Enrollment Drops: A Magnet School Strategy for Districts Committed to Excellence, Equity, and Diversity”.

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

Follow the link below to vote for “Demanding Diversity when Diversity is 'Illegal” in the panel picker— help us bring this conversation to Austin!

participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

As this country grows more diverse, we can’t afford to allow progress to be rolled back, especially not in education!

Southern Education Foundation president Raymond Pierce will join us in Austin at SXSW EDU to talk about ways to address school segregation — but we need your help to get there! 👇

🚩 Tech is used to monitor more than teach
🚩 Educators of color are often stuck with discipline
🚩 Unrest spikes when leadership changes

Their ask?
✅ Pay teachers more
✅ Share resources across districts
✅ Listen to their needs

We're grateful to hear from the students at the heart of our work!

"Students see what adults ignore."

On our listening tour through Massachusetts, we sat down with Pa'Lante students over ice cream and listened to their concerns about their school experience.

What they called out 👇

Districts are facing declining enrollment & tighter budgets—but there are proactive solutions. A new resource from @brownspromise.bsky.social & @tcfdotorg.bsky.social explores how magnet schools can be a powerful strategy that advances integration & equity.

📉Read more: tinyurl.com/WhenEnrollme...

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

School diversity is not:
❌Illegal (despite what this White House would have you believe!)

Let’s talk about it, and how we can keep up the fight in these difficult times. Vote to help us get to SXSW EDU 2026.

participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

Like/share with your network!

School diversity is:
✅Important for all children;
✅A stepping stone to a healthier democracy;
✅A research-based approach to closing gaps in educational opportunity and achievement

participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

🗳 Cast your vote and help us get to Austin!
Follow the link below for more information — and like/share to give us a boost.

participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

We couldn’t be more excited about the chance to share a stage with living legacy Elizabeth Horton Sheff, racial justice scholar and organizer @Raul Fernandez, and CEO of the @Southern Education Foundation, @Raymond Pierce!

Four education leaders are featured speakers for a South by Southwest EDU panel titled "Demanding Diversity when Diversity is 'Illegal"

We are bringing a timely conversation on integrating schools amidst significant racial equity regressions to SXSW EDU, but we need your help!

participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

This isn’t just about balancing budgets—it’s about enhancing schools and making them thrive.

Read the complete guide here: bit.ly/whenenrollme...

Tag a leader who should see this!

The roadmap:

1. Three steps for districts to pivot to whole-school magnets
2. Key building blocks for equity-focused magnet programs
3. Messaging tips

+ real wins from Dallas, Miami-Dade, & more.

Low-income communities and communities of color do not have to be devastated by school closures.

There’s a better way: Equity-centered whole-school magnet programs that boost enrollment AND diversity.

We partnered with the good folks at ‪@tcfdotorg.bsky.social‬ to map out how 🧵👇

Worcester, we want to hear from you!

We are teaming up with the Worcester Ed Collaborative to host a conversation about improving Worcester schools, & we would love to hear your experiences.

Thursday, 5 to 7pm!
To RSVP, email @clbergpowers.bsky.social at cara.bergpowers@brownspromise.org

The good news? Atlanta is ready for bold solutions!

✅Regional resource sharing
✅Transparency with parents on school data
✅Schools that prioritize joy over control

We are grateful to have heard from Atlanta—the community members are always at the heart of our work!

Last week, the Atlanta community joined us in the West End to share their experiences:

➡️ School choices are being made with limited information
➡️ Families shouldn't have to choose between excellence and diversity (many feel they do)
➡️ Harsh disciplinary policies are dampening kids' experience

Atlanta!

What have you heard as a community member about the experiences of students in Atlanta Public Schools?

We want to hear from you!

Join us for our first Atlanta community engagement session on Monday, July 14th, at West End Library.

Register here: bit.ly/atledu

Our co-founder, Saba Bireda, sat down with @legaldefensefund.bsky.social Fund to discuss the legacy of desegregation on the Justice Above All Podcast.

Check it out wherever you get your podcasts!