Looking Back, Moving Forward

Now that the conference has concluded, help us continue the dialogue we started!

A Conference on Race, Class, Opportunity and School Boundaries in the Richmond Region • March 13-14, 2013

Nearly forty years ago, on May 21, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the consolidation of the Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield school districts. Desegregation efforts proceeded without suburban involvement in a city school system already experiencing significant white and middle class flight to the surrounding counties.

Today, white students make up roughly ten percent of Richmond Public Schools enrollment. Henrico County is a majority-minority school district and Chesterfield is rapidly approaching similar status. All three school divisions are experiencing rising levels of racial and economic school segregation along with persistent opportunity and achievement gaps.

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education, the University of Richmond Center for Leadership in Education and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies will convene national and local researchers, policymakers, educational practioners, advocates, community members and students for a conference on the campuses of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond.

The conference will focus on the contemporary scope and impact of Richmond metro area school segregation, with a central goal of generating new possibilities and regional solutions for advancing high quality, diverse learning opportunities.