How segregation survived in Boston schools

Also: New strategies to address hot classrooms; what's open & closed for Juneteenth [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 19, 2024 ☀️ Still hot, a high near 95. Good Morning Boston, Happy [Juneteenth]( This week, WBUR has been covering [the 50-year effort to desegregate Boston's public schools](. You're probably familiar with the city's "busing crisis" — [the infamous protests and images]( following the 1974 court order that Boston Public Schools students be bused to new schools as a way to integrate the city’s classrooms. But by the late 1980s, additional court challenges and parent opposition brought busing to an end. And it’s this period that reporter Emily Piper-Vallilo examines in a [new piece co-published today by WBUR and The Emancipator](. Emily sat down with WBUR's Morning Edition to explain what came after busing and how it effectively led to the [resegregation]( of many Boston Public Schools. What was "Controlled Choice"? This new plan, adopted in 1989, divided Boston into three zones, drawn to include a diversity of students. Parents could rank their top choice of schools and their child would be enrolled there — unless it upset the racial balance of the school, which had to mirror the district. Black members of Boston's school committee worried "Controlled Choice" could re-segregate schools, but it turned out a lot of parents liked this plan. Three-quarters of students who participated were assigned to their first or second choice. But, "Controlled Choice" only lasted a decade. Why did Boston drop it? Nationally and locally, we began moving away from race-conscious policies. Colleges faced challenges to their affirmative action programs. The Supreme Court had become more conservative since Brown v. Board of Education. And in 1995, a parent sued the Boston School Committee over the rejection of a white student from Boston Latin, one of the city's [most elite exam schools](. The parent claimed that the 35% of seats set aside for students of color violated his daughter's civil rights. (At the time, four out of five students in Boston Public Schools were students of color.) Interestingly, Judge W. Arthur Garrity — the same person who ordered the desegregation of Boston schools in 1974 — ended up presiding over this case. But now he concluded the admissions quota created under his orders was constitutionally suspect. Amid additional lawsuits, the district decided to drop race from student assignment. What was the impact of that? Black student enrollment at Boston Latin was cut in half in the decade that followed that decision. Students of color in Boston experienced increasing segregation — a trend across the Northeast. Research out of UMass found roughly half of Boston schools were intensely segregated in 2019-2020, so segregation is still a very real part of our education system. What would have happened if Boston didn't drop the plan? We don't know for sure. But we can look across the river to Cambridge whose schools continue to use [a version of the "Controlled Choice"]( and are more racially diverse. Actually, Cambridge has become somewhat of a national model for school integration. [Read Emily's full feature here.]( In other local news: - ICYMI: Gov. Maura Healey told Radio Boston yesterday her administration plans to hold onto [its stockpile of mifepristone]( for the near future, following the Supreme Court's [ruling last week to protect access to the abortion pill](. Healey's office said "the threat of another Donald Trump presidency" was one just reason to keep the stockpile. - Tune in: [Listen to Healey's full Radio Boston interview here](. - Take the T: The Celtics' duck boat parade is officially set for Friday. And given the massive crowds, road closures and parking restrictions expected, officials are encouraging those coming into Boston to take the T. The subway system will run increased service all day long, according to MBTA General Manager Phil Eng. "We will be operating essentially peak service from 6 a. m. to 6 p.m.," he said yesterday. - Plan ahead: Here's [the parade route map](. The T also set up [a short guide]( so public transit newbs can figure out how to get there. - 911 is back up and running following yesterday's [two-hour crash of the emergency response system]( across Massachusetts. Officials say they are still investigating what caused the outage. P.S.— Remember, several museums are offering free admission for Juneteenth, along with special programming and exhibitions. WBUR's Hanna Ali has [a guide to that and other Juneteenth events here](. Just make sure to wear sunscreen and drink lots of water if you're headed to any Juneteenth cookouts or block parties. ([Get more tips and resources here]( for staying cool around Boston this week.) Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Mass. teachers unions explore new strategies to address hot classrooms]( Some unions want to add classroom temperature maximums to their contracts, while others say state and district officials should prioritize funding new buildings that are climate-resilient. [Read more.]( [Mass. teachers unions explore new strategies to address hot classrooms]( Some unions want to add classroom temperature maximums to their contracts, while others say state and district officials should prioritize funding new buildings that are climate-resilient. [Read more.]( [State inspector general urges lawmakers to appoint overseer for Cannabis Control Commission]( The inspector general called the commission overseeing the $6 billion marijuana industry "a rudderless agency without a clear indication of who is responsible for running its day-to-day operations." [Read more.]( [State inspector general urges lawmakers to appoint overseer for Cannabis Control Commission]( The inspector general called the commission overseeing the $6 billion marijuana industry "a rudderless agency without a clear indication of who is responsible for running its day-to-day operations." [Read more.]( [Galveston was home to the first Juneteenth. Here's how it'll celebrate this year]( America will celebrate Juneteenth for the fourth year since it became a federal holiday. But for Galveston families, celebrations can be traced back generations. [Read more.]( [Galveston was home to the first Juneteenth. Here's how it'll celebrate this year]( America will celebrate Juneteenth for the fourth year since it became a federal holiday. But for Galveston families, celebrations can be traced back generations. [Read more.]( [Poisoned trees gave a wealthy couple a killer view — and united residents in outrage]( A politically connected Missouri couple allegedly poisoned their neighbor's trees to secure their million-dollar view of Camden Harbor in Maine. The incident was unearthed by the victim herself. [Read more.]( [Poisoned trees gave a wealthy couple a killer view — and united residents in outrage]( A politically connected Missouri couple allegedly poisoned their neighbor's trees to secure their million-dollar view of Camden Harbor in Maine. The incident was unearthed by the victim herself. [Read more.]( [Ipswich Select Board votes to remove historic dam, addressing environmental concerns]( The Ipswich Select Board voted 4-1 in favor of removing the historic mills dam Monday night. The debate over whether to remove the dam has been tense at times; residents on both sides of the issue have strong ties to the river but opposing viewsover how to steward it into the future. [Read more.]( [Ipswich Select Board votes to remove historic dam, addressing environmental concerns]( The Ipswich Select Board voted 4-1 in favor of removing the historic mills dam Monday night. The debate over whether to remove the dam has been tense at times; residents on both sides of the issue have strong ties to the river but opposing viewsover how to steward it into the future. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - PSA: Running errands today? [Here's what's open and closed for the Juneteenth holiday]( from supermarkets to the post office to the RMV.  - Willie Mays, long considered baseball's best all-around player, has died at 93. The MLB is hosting a game today at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where Mays once played in the Negro Leagues. (They already had planned to honor Mays and unveil a mural of him.) Here's [a look back at the Hall of Famer's long life and career](.  - The Roxbury International Film Festival [returns for its 26th year tomorrow]( kicking off 10 days of film screenings, panel discussions, live script readings and filmmaker hangouts around Boston.  - WBUR theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair [shares the plays she's looking forward to this summer]( — indoors and outside — from Shakespeare on the Common to a Broadway in Boston production of “Les Misérables.” What We're Reading 📚 - Long-awaited confetti and champagne from inside the Celtics' locker room: 'Nobody wanted to give us no time' ([ESPN]( - If even the secretary of transportation won’t take the train, who will? ([The Boston Globe]( - The Washington Post Delves Into a Difficult Story: Itself ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [How Boston's Poet Laureate feels the joy of Juneteenth through 'The Electric Slide']( Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola joined WBUR’s Weekend Edition host Sharon Brody to reflect on the meaning of the day and how some of her poetry reflects the holiday’s themes. [Read more.]( [How Boston's Poet Laureate feels the joy of Juneteenth through 'The Electric Slide']( Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola joined WBUR’s Weekend Edition host Sharon Brody to reflect on the meaning of the day and how some of her poetry reflects the holiday’s themes. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common has [bad news about poison ivy](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Heads up, Walden Pond fans.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.