New Legislation Aims to Boost Diversity in Public Schools

Representative Fudge
Representative Fudge

New legislation sponsored by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Marcia L. Fudge, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, seeks to increase diversity and enhance racial desegregation of the nation’s public schools. If enacted into law, The Stronger Together School Diversity Act of 2016 will encourage voluntary community-driven efforts to increase diversity in schools.

The legislation would authorize $120 million to fund planning and implementation grants to support voluntary local efforts to increase socioeconomic and racial diversity in schools. These grants may include support for programs to expand busing programs, establish school choice zones, create academic programs to attract students from outside the local area, and promote cooperation from neighboring school districts to support increased diversity.

Representative Fudge stated that “Brown v. Board ruled more than 60 years ago that ‘separate is not equal,’ yet it is obvious that many schools are suffering from the effects of de facto segregation. This bill will help bring parity of access and resources to schools across the nation, provide a platform to address inequities within our current education system, and help give all of our students a chance to succeed.”

Congresswoman Fudge earned her bachelor’s degree in business from Ohio State University and law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law at Cleveland State University.

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

American Students Studying Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the 2021-22 academic year, there were 4,614 American students who studied at universities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is about one tenth of the number of students from sub-Saharan Africa studying at U.S. universities.

Marcus L. Thompson Named the Thirteenth President of Jackson State University

Dr. Thompson has more than 20 years of leadership experience in early childhood, K-12 education, and higher education. He has been serving as the deputy commissioner and chief administrative officer of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, where for over a decade he has been responsible for overseeing IHL staff.

U.S. Public Schools Remain Separate and Unequal

Approximately 522,400 students, or 1 percent of overall student enrollment, attended public schools where fewer than half of the teachers met all state certification requirements. Of the students attending those schools, 66 percent were Black and Latino students.

Featured Jobs