Communicate
Building the visibility of the movement and its impact through messaging and storytelling
NCSD’s communications strategies are designed to broaden public dialogue, engaging audiences beyond traditional supporters and shaping public opinion. These efforts are particularly critical as we address the urgent need to coordinate communications in response to attacks on educational diversity—whether in higher education or PK-12 schools—and counter efforts to undermine anti-racist teaching and learning. By effectively linking these issues and offering actionable solutions, NCSD helps inform conversations on how to move forward.
Our approach also aims to center youth voices and their experiences; elevate the voices of people of color and historically marginalized groups to authentically reflect the needs, aspirations, and concerns of communities most impacted by segregation; and redefine integration holistically, acknowledging historical shortcomings and harm while advancing solutions for repair, redress, and growth.
Key Communications Initiatives
NCSD’s communications work focuses on the following goals:
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Lead a School Diversity Communications Working Group: Facilitating collaboration across our network to share communications tools, advance and co-create specific campaigns, and develop strategic messaging and rapid response strategies that support school integration.
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Develop messaging on intersectional issues: Highlighting the connections between school integration and other educational equity and social justice issues, such as educator diversity, the reciprocal relationship between housing and schools policy, and the interconnections between school funding and segregation.
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Raise awareness of key people and events in the school integration movement: Coordinating annual field-wide initiatives related to movement milestones, including activities around the Brown v. Board of Education anniversary.
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Publish the State of Integration Report: Periodically releasing this flagship report, featuring essays by NCSD staff and members that document state and local progress, challenges, and opportunities in advancing school integration.
OUR MISSION & IMPACT
Advancing School Integration Since 2009
Founded in 2009, the National Coalition on School Diversity is a cross-sector network of 50+ national civil rights organizations, university-based research centers, and state and local coalitions working to expand support for school integration. NCSD supports its members in designing, enacting, implementing, and uplifting PK-12 public school integration policies and practices so we may build cross-race/cross-class relationships, share power and resources, and co-create new realities.
Through these initiatives, NCSD works to amplify diverse perspectives, foster honest and informed public dialogue, and strengthen the case for equitable, integrated education.