On December 17, 2018, WAMU explored the findings of Landscape of Diversity in D.C. Public Schools, a new report by Education Policy Initiative Director Chelsea Coffin:
D.C. residents talk about the city’s shifting demographics all the time. Since 2006, the District has become wealthier, whiter and younger. And residents see the changes all around them, particularly in new housing developments and rising rent prices. But these demographic changes are less evident in schools, according to a new report.
D.C. Policy Center, a local non-partisan think-tank, released a report today showing that although schools are becoming more economically diverse, racial and ethnic diversity within schools remains low. Wards 2 and 3 are the least socioeconomically diverse, while Wards 7 and 8 have the least racial and ethnic diversity. The report is based on data from 2014-2017.
“We found that when we overlaid both types of diversity, only eight schools were the most diverse in each category, which was surprising to me,” says Chelsea Coffin, a director at the D.C. Policy Center.
Read more: As D.C. Grows More Diverse, Report Shows Public Schools Remain Racially Segregated | WAMU
Related: Landscape of Diversity in D.C. Public Schools | D.C. Policy Center