A plan tackling segregated middle schools in Brooklyn shows some patterns are hard to break

The Phoenix School of Discovery is an alternative school designed for students with learning and social challenges, with roughly half of students on an individualized education plan, or IEP. The school prioritizes hands-on learning, has multiple teachers in each classroom, and offers accommodations like sensory-friendly lighting and a space for “quiet lunch” for students who find the traditional cafeteria over-stimulating.

Schools in the Richardson Independent School District of Texas are updating the methods and measurements they've used to identify gifted students. One way is by testing all second and sixth graders in the district, which helps diminish implicit bias coming from teachers who may discriminate against certain students. Students' scores are also being judged differently by comparing them against others from similar backgrounds, from within their own school, and nationally.

The Cherry Creek School district is using apprenticeships to create a more racially diverse pipeline of K-12 educators in Colorado. High school juniors and seniors are paid to participate in the apprenticeship, and are able to earn college credit as well. This is one of the ways the district is working on having its workforce reflect its student bodies more accurately. Currently 85% of teachers are white, and half of its student body is kids of color. Now in its second year, the program has grown from an initial cohort of 12 youth apprentices to 26,

Part 1 of 3 - A progressive funding model has been a boon to schools in Berlin’s poorer neighborhoods, which receive a baseline of staff and resources that would make them the envy of many of their counterparts in Pennsylvania. But schools in poorer neighborhoods face a myriad of struggles that additional resources haven’t been able to quell, due to the deep socioeconomic disparities between the home neighborhoods of wealthy and poor students. This "social wall" lies exactly along the lines of the once physical Berlin wall.

Educators in the Seattle area are making a move to desegregate schools by removing track-based course structures. Inspired by the work and research of one school in New York, Washington is seeing results in closing the achievement gap by blending general-education students with those in advanced courses, creating a stimulating environment for all and better opportunities for minority students.

A nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools, delivers a first-class education to the children of illegal immigrants, helping to break the cycle of poverty and provide them a path to advance in life.

Schools that participate in a network called Schule ohne Rassismus – Schule mit Courage, which translates to School without Racism – School with Courage, incorporate lessons on anti-racism and discrimination into every facet of the curriculum, from hosting daylong workshop series to tasking students to produce films about bias or organizing field trips to cultural centers that highlight the experiences of minorities. The network includes more than 5,000 schools serving roughly 2.4 million students.

Some Czech communities have taken steps to desegregate their schools, bringing Roma children into majority-Czech schools and closing "special" schools that may provide a lower quality of support. While typically launched as a cost-saving measure, integration efforts have led to improved outcomes for Roma students, such as a larger number enrolling in high school, and have also improved relations between Czech and Roma residents.

To improve the percentage of Black and Latino students in advanced math courses, some school districts, such as Hays Consolidated Independent School District, have begun using standardized test scores and performance assessments alongside teacher recommendations to automatically enroll middle schoolers in higher-level classes. The district has seen the share of rising sixth graders enrolled in advanced math rise from 26 percent to 42 percent over three years.

The KNOSK secondary school is working to reduce the number of out-of-school youth in Nigeria by providing students with a quality education for a daily fee much lower than other school options. The school offers various payment plan options and gives the students uniforms, lunch, and sanitary products.