logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
1h 1m

1: The Book of Statuses

Serial Productions & The New York Times
About this episode

It’s 2015 and one Brooklyn middle school is about to receive a huge influx of new students.

In this episode, Chana Joffe-Walt, a reporter, follows what happens when the School of International Studies’ 6th grade class swells from 30 mostly Latino, Black and Middle Eastern students, to 103 — an influx almost entirely driven by white families.

Everyone wants “what’s best for the school” but it becomes clear that they don’t share the same vision of what “best” means.

To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts.

 

To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.

 

Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com 

Up next
Jul 2020
2: 'I Still Believe in It'
Chana Joffe-Walt searches the New York City Board of Education archives for more information about the School for International Studies, which was originally called I.S. 293.In the process, she finds a folder of letters written in 1963 by mostly white families in Cobble Hill, Bro ... Show More
53m 26s
Aug 2020
3: ‘This Is Our School, How Dare You?’
Chana Joffe-Walt explores how white parents can shape a school — even when they aren’t there.She traces the history of I.S. 293, now the Boerum Hill School for International Studies, from the 1980s through the modern education reforms of the 2000s. In the process, Chana talks to ... Show More
45m 3s
Aug 2020
4: 'Here’s Another Fun Thing You Can Do'
Public schools are inequitable because the school systems are maniacally loyal to white families. We can’t have equitable public education unless schools limit the disproportionate power of white parents. But is that even possible? Chana finds two schools that are trying to do ju ... Show More
48m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2020
Nice White Parents - Ep. 1
It’s 2015 and one Brooklyn middle school is about to receive a huge influx of new students.Reporter Chana Joffe Walt follows what happens when the School for International Studies’s 6th grade class swells from 30 mostly Latino, Black and Middle Eastern students, to a class of 103 ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2020
Nice White Parents - Ep. 3
Chana Joffe-Walt explores how white parents can shape a school — even when they aren’t there. She traces the history of I.S. 293, now the Boerum Hill School for International Studies, from the 1980s through the modern education reforms of the 2000s. In the process, Chana talks to ... Show More
45m 4s
Jan 2022
“The Sun Rises in The East”
In 1969, a group of young Black educators and students in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn founded a pan-African organization called The East. They wanted to take control of their community but knew the only way to do that was to create businesses and institutions founded by, run by, ... Show More
30m 8s
Aug 2020
Nice White Parents - Ep. 2
Chana Joffe-Walt searches the New York City Board of Education archives for more information about the School for International Studies, which was originally called I.S. 293. In the process, she finds a folder of letters written in 1963 by mostly white families in Cobble Hill, Br ... Show More
53m 26s
Sep 2021
Race and Education in an American Suburb
Over the past few decades, families have flocked to the affluent Dallas suburb of Southlake for its top-rated school system. But beneath the manicured lawns and gleaming fountains lie something Black families call “Southlake’s dirty secret."Less than three years ago, two videos o ... Show More
35m 42s
Apr 2021
Desegregation By Any Means Necessary
A gun-toting Black Power advocate was made principal of a Marin County, California school during efforts to desegregate 50 years ago. As they try again, we recount his radical legacy. As the Sausalito Marin City School District continues to grapple with school desegregation, Repo ... Show More
55m 20s
May 2024
228: A Conversation About School Choice
The rights of parents to choose the best school for their children — also known as school choice — may seem simple on the surface, but it's anything but, and it has the potential to impact teachers and students all over the country. In this episode, I talk with Cara Fitzpatrick, ... Show More
50m 36s
Aug 2020
Nice White Parents - Ep. 5
Chana has traced the history of the school from its founding and come to the present. But now: One unexpected last chapter. Last year, the school district for BHS mandated a change in the zoning process to ensure all middle schools would be racially integrated. No longer can whit ... Show More
52m 23s
Jun 2023
The Weeds: We Need to Rethink Discipline in Schools
This Juneteenth, we’re sharing an episode of The Weeds, a Vox Media podcast where host Jonquilyn Hill breaks down the policies that shape our lives.This episode digs into school discipline and the achievement gap with Francis Pearman of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Ed ... Show More
52m 22s