School integration: A national problem

Seven families whose children attend Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools are suing the state over policies they say have resulted in high concentrations of poor and minority students in urban schools.

The issue isn't confined to Minnesota: Stories about the re-segregation of schools are popping up around the country. Places like Tuscaloosa, Ala., or the entire state of Florida, have faced criticism.

In Tuscaloosa, according to Pro-Publica, "nearly 1 in 3 black students attends a school that looks as if Brown v. Board of Education never happened."

Nikole Hannah-Jones, an investigative reporter for the New York Times Magazine, examined a similar situation at Normandy High School in Normandy, Mo. The Normandy District, Hannah-Jones wrote for Pro-Publica, is "among the poorest and most segregated in the state."

This summer, Hannah-Jones produced a story for This American Life about how Normandy High "accidentally launched a desegregation program." She joined MPR News' Tom Weber to talk about the story and the factors at play in schools across the country.

"Desegregation peaked in 1988, and we've seen a re-segregation happening across the country since then," Hannah-Jones said.

Bernadeia Johnson, the former Minneapolis Public School superintendent, also joined the conversation to discuss the local realities of that national statistic.

"In Minneapolis, it has been a challenge over the years," Johnson said.

To hear the full discussion on school integration with Nikole Hannah-Jones and Bernadeia Johnson, use the audio player above.