BOULDER, CO (February 17, 2026) — In this month's episode of NEPC Talks Education, Christopher Saldaña interviews Erica Turner, associate professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Bryan Mann, associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Kansas. Turner and Mann discuss the ways in which demographic change is reshaping American schools and how current policy responses can promote equity and integration.

Turner, author of Suddenly Diverse: How School Districts Manage Race and Inequality, describes how refugee resettlement, immigration, and migration of Black families seeking opportunity, as well as economic downturn, have led to shifts in the racial and economic composition of communities that were once predominantly white and middle class. These changes present challenges for districts whose leaders and teachers were unprepared for the diversity now present in their schools. Turner explains that district leaders often respond to these changes with business-oriented, race-neutral strategies such as performance monitoring, test-score-driven decision making, and marketing diversity. Such approaches typically fail to address the structural inequalities already embedded in schools.

Mann’s large-scale research reveals a striking paradox: While white student isolation has declined, particularly in suburbs, isolation for students of color has actually increased, especially in urban areas. He attributes this to both compositional shifts and the choices families make, noting that families of color often make more integrative moves into suburban districts, while white families moving into cities tend to seek out schools that are higher in socioeconomic status.

Both scholars emphasize that school choice policies, including vouchers and charter schools, have generally failed to advance desegregation, as more privileged families tend to exercise choice in ways that reinforce existing patterns of racial and economic segregation.

Turner and Mann urge policymakers and educators to move beyond race-evasive approaches, address structural inequalities directly, and consider the full trajectory of students’ experiences from early childhood through high school when pursuing integration and equity.

A new NEPC Talks Education podcast episode, hosted by Christopher Saldaña, will be released each month from September through May. 

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