Once you fill out the application form and sign the accompanying Membership Statement, the NCSD Steering Committee will consider your candidacy. The steering committee meets four times a year, so it may take up to three months for a final decision. If you wish to follow up with us, please email Gina Chirichigno at gchirichigno@prrac.org.
Thinking About Applying for Membership to NCSD?
The National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD) engages in research, public education, and advocacy to help expand support for government policies that promote school diversity and reduce racial and socioeconomic isolation. Members are invited to participate–consistent with their organization’s ability and designation–in NCSD’s advocacy efforts, which include, but are not limited to: legislative advocacy, administrative advocacy (e.g. communicating with departments of education and other non-legislative government agencies/bodies), and civil rights litigation at the district, local, state, and national levels.
Membership is free and open to organizations that meet specific criteria, which is described below. In lieu of the annual membership dues that most national organizations require, NCSD requests that members make a voluntary contribution (consistent with an organization’s capacity) to its bi-annual conference. You can learn more about our past conferences here.
Please note: NCSD does not accept applications from individuals.
The Benefits of Joining NCSD
- Meet, learn from, connect with, and build alliances among our ever-growing, dynamic network made up of people and organizations committed to creating, sustaining, and improving equitable and diverse schools in the United States
- Access members-only conference calls that provide up-to-date information and insights about research, practice, and policy work in the field
- Amplify your work through our newsletter, which is disseminated to a network of 5,000+ integration supporters nationwide
- Connect with a community of peers when you have questions or are looking for information and allies to strengthen your work
- Lend your voice and perspectives on school integration with local and national media
- Express support and contribute your skills to NCSD’s many advocacy efforts and campaigns at local, state, and national levels
- Receive public recognition of your membership and activities on our website and our conference materials
What We Ask of Members
- A contribution, consistent with your organization’s capacity, to our bi-annual conference
- Keep NCSD reasonably informed about your organization’s integration-related work
- Public support for NCSD’s work. This could include publicizing our written products, webinars, or events and supporting NCSD’s advocacy efforts, as appropriate
- Recognition of your affiliation with NCSD, e.g. on your website or when speaking at education conferences and similar events
- We strongly encourage collaboration and communication between members, in order to inform, enhance, amplify, and better understand each other’s work
- Be welcoming, inclusive, and curious about other NCSD members and their work. This might include amplifying and supporting fellow members’ work through social media, issuing invitations to members to be on panels, or simply by connecting by phone or in-person to learn about each other’s work
- Make efforts to connect with fellow members when visiting, presenting, and/or attending events in other cities
- Particularly if you are experienced in the field, with status and connections to opportunities and knowledge, encourage and support emerging practitioners, researchers, and advocates dedicated to this important work
- That you sign our Membership Statement (you must have the proper authority to submit an application on your organization’s behalf).
Please note: NCSD is not accepting applications from individual schools (including colleges/universities) or school districts at this time. Instead, we encourage you to connect with some of the following members and partners, which are better positioned to provide support and guidance to schools and districts:
- Beloved Community’s work includes research & data analysis on longitudinal impacts of diverse schools/housing and advocacy for local & regional policies that incentivize socioeconomically diverse schools and housing. Read about their equity audit research study here.
- The Bridges Collaborative (housed at The Century Foundation) aims to bring together leaders of school systems, charter schools, and fair housing advocates, and provide them the space and opportunity to learn from one another, build grassroots political support, and develop successful strategies for integration.
- The Diverse Charter Schools Coalition works to catalyze and support the creation and expansion of high-quality diverse public charter schools through strategic research, advocacy, membership activities, and outreach.
- The Integration and Innovation Initiative (i3) at NYU Metro Center, is designed to support policy development and design, implementation, and advocacy for school integration.
- National Institute for Magnet School Leadership (“NIMSL”) is the technical assistance arm of Magnet Schools of America, whose mission is to provide professional development related to the MSA’s five pillars: 1) Diversity; 2) Innovative Curriculum and Professional Development; 3) Academic Excellence; 4) High Quality Instructional Systems; 5) Family and Community Partnerships.
- Reimagining Education: Teaching and Learning in Racially Diverse Schools at Teachers College, Columbia University provides professional development for educators, policy makers, parents, and all stakeholders in K-12 schools around the opportunities and challenges of creating and sustaining racially, ethnically and socio-economically integrated schools.
- Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools (“RIDES”) project at Harvard Graduate School of Education helps schools achieve the “ABCDs of True Integration” through coaching, as well as collecting promising practices on the Resources section of our website. (ABCDs – Academics, Belonging, Commitment to dismantling racism and oppression, and Diversity)
APPLY NOW
To find out more about becoming an NCSD member organization, feel free to contact us:
Also, refer to our strategic plan for more details about our work.