Be sure to visit
NEAT Cultural Communities

Center for Rural Policy and Development - Seeking solutions for Greater Minnesota's future (Research reports on Education).

• 2003 - Addressing Diversity: Making a Difference in Our Communities - A summary of programs striving to help their community become more inclusive, Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Council on Crime and Justice Racial Disparity Project - Reducing racial disparity and enhancing public safety in the justice system.

• January, 2008 - Minneapolis Public Schools Institutional Ethnography: Research Findings - Recommendations on disciplinary referral policies and practices; zero tolerance policies result in “school to jailhouse track," Council on Crime and Justice.
  
  
• October 2007 - Justice, Where Art Thou? A Framework for the Future - To successfully implement the Framework, Minnesotans will need to build bridges across racial, ethnic and socio-economic divisions in new and effective ways – ways that have so far escaped us, Council on Crime and Justice.
  
  —October 6, 2007 - How to create change and make cities safer - Minnesota has six times as many people in prison today as it did in 1957, Star Tribune.
  —October 10, 2007 - Bleak predictions for justice in Minnesota, report says - A report out today sees a bleak future for state justice system and offers ways to change, Star Tribune.
  
  
• June 2006 - Reducing Racial Disparity While Enhancing Public Safety (Full Report) - Council on Crime and Justice (Key Findings & Recommendations; Related Article).
  
  
• September 2003 - Minnesota Statewide Racial Profiling Report - Law enforcement officers stopped Black, Latino, and American Indian drivers at greater rates than White drivers, searched Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians at greater rates than White drivers, and found contraband as a result of searches of Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians at lower rates than in searches of White drivers. Conversely, law enforcement officers stopped and searched White drivers at lower rates than drivers of color and found contraband in searches of White drivers at a greater rate than in searches of drivers of color. These disparities are particularly large for Blacks and Latinos. Report to the Minnesota Legislature.
  
  September 2003 - Minnesota Statewide Racial Profiling Report: Ramsey County Sheriff's Department - Report to the Minnesota Legislature; maps are startling and revealing, Council on Crime and Justice and Institute on Race & Poverty. 
  
  

• February 2003 - East Side of Saint Paul Crime Related Needs Assessment, Council on Crime and Justice Racial Disparity Initiative.

Brookings Institution/Itasca Project

October 2005 (Seminal document) - Mind the Gap: Reducing Disparities to Improve Regional Competitiveness in the Twin Cities - The demographic changes in store for the region demand attention. If ignored, growing race, class, and place disparities will hamper the region’s future workforce and overall economic health, the Itasca Project and the Brookings Institution (Executive Summary) Supplemented by the Close the Gap Employers' Toolkit - Prepared to help Twin Cities employers understand what they can do to Close the Gap, the Itasca Project and the Greater Twin Cities United Way.

• February 2009 - MINNESOTA'S FUTURE: World-class Schools, World-class Jobs - As Minnesota employers of all sizes face global competition and pursue global opportunities, they have a vested interest in the answers to these questions: How does Minnesota's education system compare with the best in the world? What can we learn from them to deliver a better education to the students of Minnesota?, Minnesota Business Partnership and the Itasca Project.
  
  
• Fall 2008 - Close the Gap:  A Business Response To our Region’s Growing Disparities (Power Point) - In spite of our overall economic strength, there are three stark and growing socioeconomic gaps in the Twin Cities – gaps tied to race, class, and place – which threaten to undermine our region’s future. Closing these gaps now is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.
  
  
• January 2006 - Report to the Saint Paul City Council on Mind the Gap: Reducing Disparities to Improve Regional Competitiveness in the Twin Cities, City of Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development.
  
  
• October 2006 - The Vital Center: A Federal-State Compact to Renew the Great Lakes Region - Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks 24th in a list of the most racially segregated cities in the nation, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.
  
  
• July 2006 - Racial Division and Concentrated Poverty in U.S. Cities, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

Organizing Apprenticeship Project - Working to advance racial, cultural, social and economic justice in Minnesota through organizer and leadership training, policy research and strategic convening work (Supporting curriculum guide for the OAP legislative report cards, UMN Human Rights Resource Center).

• December 2010 - 14 Solutions that Expand Job and Economic Opportunity, and Reduce Minnesota’s Disparities - Racial equity and the state’s long-term economic vitality are directly related. Over the next 25 years, one in four Minnesotans will be a person of color, American Indian or a new Minnesotan and younger on average. As the population of our communities of color and new Minnesotans continue to grow, failure to equitably educate our growing multicultural, multiracial, and poorer children will lead to underemployment and a dwindling tax base at a time when the state needs a well-educated workforce to drive economic growth and sustain economic vitality, Organizing Apprenticeship Project (Star Tribune Editorial).
  
• February 2010 - 2009 Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity - The 2009 Report Card includes a hard look at the real consequences of budget cuts, stimulus investment and unallotment on Minnesotans and Minnesotans of color, Organizing Apprenticeship Project.
  
  
• March 2009 - 2008 Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity - The state legislature and governor earned an “F” during the 2008 legislative session. Seven of the 15 racial equity bills that were considered for this report became law; giving the state legislature and governor an overall score of 47 percent, Organizing Apprenticeship Project (Executive Summary).
  
  
• January 2008 - 2007 Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity - The legislature and governor share a "D" on racial equity, Organizing Apprenticeship Project (Executive Summary).
  
  
• April 2007 Update - Mid-term Progress Report on Educational Equity (and more!), Organizing Apprenticeship Project.
  
  
• November 2006 - The Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity 2005 2006 - Assesses the performance of the Minnesota Legislature and the governor during the 2005–2006 biennium on policies that address and strengthen racial equity and opportunity in the state, Organizing Apprenticeship Project (Executive Summary).

University of Minnesota Institute on Race & Poverty - Investigating the ways that policies and practices disproportionately affect people of color and the disadvantaged (Projects; News & Updates).

• February 2009 - Communities in Crisis: Race and Mortgage Lending in the Twin Cities - In the Twin Cities, like the rest of the nation, people of color receive home loans on worse terms and at a higher cost than white borrowers. Race and segregation influence mortgage lending patterns in the Twin Cities . A multi-faceted approach is needed to combat lending disparities.
  
  
• November 2008 - Failed Promises: Assessing Charter Schools in the Twin Cities - After two decades of experience, most charter schools in the Twin Cities still underperform comparable traditional public schools and intensify racial and economic segregation in the Twin Cities schools.
  
  
• December 7, 2007 - Segregation is back, and our future is on the line - Swift changes in the Twin Cities area hurt students and have a ripple effect, Star Tribune.
  
  
• September 24, 2007 - Achievement Gap Testimony - Data presented by Myron Orfield to the Senate Education Subcommittee on Achievement Gap. CAUTION: Large (8.5 MB) PowerPoint file. Download then open locally.
  
  
• Summer 2007 - Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School and Housing Choice - Segregated schools harm children, communities, and the metropolitan region, CURA Reporter.
  
  
• June 2007 - Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools: Barrier to Quality and Equality in Education - Racial and economic segregation in schools is a fundamental barrier to accessing quality education. Schools in the Twin Cities region are already severely segregated and the problem is intensifying rapidly, Human Rights Law & Policy Conference. (Note: Good data, but offers a disappointingly narrow solution.)
  
  
• May 2007 - The Choice is Ours: Expanding Educational Opportunity for all Twin Cities Children - To help integrate schools, and ensure equal access to opportunity, affordable housing should not be concentrated in racially or economically segregated areas, and decisions to site units should be coordinated with an expanded school choice program so opportunities are available for families to live near their children’s schools in places where job opportunities also are more abundant, UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.
  
  
• April 2006 - Schools an Housing Presentation (PowerPoint) - Twin Cities/Minneapolis Schools, Saint Paul & South Suburban Schools, Charter Schools, the Choice is Yours/Integration Trends, UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.
  
  
• March 2006 - Minority Suburbanization and Racial Change - Pro-integrative policies must be regional in scope or the operations of metropolitan housing markets will undermine efforts to stabilize neighborhoods, and frustrate efforts to ensure that children and families have access to education and housing that is not determined by race and ethnicity, UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.
  
  
• February 2006 - Minority Suburbanization and Racial Change - Minority Suburbanization, Stable Integration, and Economic Opportunity in Fifteen Metropolitan Regions (including Minneapolis - Saint Paul Maps), UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.
  
  
• August 2002 - Racism and Metropolitan Dynamics: The Civil Rights Challenge of the 21st Century - Includes recommendations related to a regional approach to policy-making around housing, transportation and economic development (jobs), UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.
  
  
• May 2000 - Student Voices across the Spectrum: The Educational Integration Initiatives Project (Executive Summary) - Includes recommendations related to housing and poverty, UMN Institute on Race & Poverty.

Wilder Research Center - Dedicated to practical research in the field of human services (Research reports on School Success.).

• March 2006 - Tackling the achievement gap head on - A wide gulf divides public school classrooms throughout the Twin Cities region. It closely follows the lines of family income and of race and ethnicity. This achievement gap persists throughout the school years, from grade-school test scores through high school graduation rates., Wilder Research Center.
  
  
• January 2004 - An assessment of racism in Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties, Wilder Research Center.
  
  
• November 2000 - Speaking for Themselves: A survey of Hispanic, Hmong, Russian, and Somali immigrants in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Wilder Research Center.

July 2009 - Youth in Minnesota Correctional Facilities: Responses to the 2007 Minnesota Student Survey - The mainstream student population that completed the 2007 MSS was 78 percent white and 22 percent youth of color. In 2007, white youth in Minnesota made up over two thirds of all juvenile arrests, including those for serious and violent offenses. At the time of the 2007 MSS, youth from correctional facilities were 66 percent youth of color and 33 percent white, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs.

Summer 2008 - When Troubled Youth Can’t Stay at Home: An Analysis of Out-of-Home Placements in Hennepin County - An investigation of racial disparities in out-of-home youth placement in Hennepin County; compares placements through human services and juvenile corrections, CURA Reporter.

January 2007 - State ranks 8th in rate of black homicide victims, Star Tribune.

January 2005 - Community Needs Assessment For Under-Served Communities, St. Paul Public Libraries.

September 2004 - Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity: A Trilogy for Student Success (html) - Suggests ways to increase the number and diversity of those pursuing education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Eric J. Jolly, PhD, Science Museum of Minnesota & Patricia B. Campbell, PhD and Lesley Perlman, MA, Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. for the GE Foundation. (Report Summary) (Full Report).

December 2003 - Opportunity and Challenges in the State Education System and its Impact within the Somali Community, African American Relief & Development Initiative.

2001 - New Neighbors Hidden Scars - A handbook for working with refugees who may be torture or war trauma survivors, Center for Victims of Torture.

November 2001 - The Color of Justice - Evidence and anecdotes say whether it's Beltrami County in the north, or Hennepin County in the metro, African-Americans, American Indians and other people of color are disproportionately represented in police stops, courtrooms and jails, Minnesota Public Radio.

August 2001 - Race and ethnicity of juveniles in Minnesota’s justice system - Studies data on the number of minorities and whites in the juvenile justice system, State of Minnesota.

Additional Resources: National

Colorlines - The national newsmagazine on race and politics.

Organizing Community-wide Dialogue for Action and Change - Study Circles Resource Center (A Step-by-step Guide).

Race Matters Toolkit - The approach described in the toolkit deals specifically with policies and practices that contribute to inequitable outcomes for children, families, and communities. The toolkit presents a specific point of view on addressing unequal opportunities by race and simple, results-oriented steps to help you achieve your goals, Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Using NCLB to Improve Student Achievement: An Action Guide for Community and Parent Leaders, Public Education Network. (pdf)

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September 2009 - Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities: Impacts of Advocacy, Organizing and Civic Engagement in Minnesota - Foundations can make a measurable difference by partnering with effective grassroots and statewide nonprofits to advocate and organize for long-term, meaningful change, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (Full Report).

July 2009 - The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America - Representative Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: “For too long now, our transportation decision-making has failed to address the impacts that our infrastructure network has on public health and equity. The asphalt poured and lane miles constructed enhanced our mobility and strengthened our economic growth; but too often, this auto-centric mindset took hold and crowded out opportunities to invest in a truly sustainable inter-modal transportation system, in particular a system that meets the needs of underserved communities,” a report by PolicyLink and the Prevention Institute, commissioned by the Convergence Partnership.

September 2007 - America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline® - There's an urgent national crisis at the intersection of poverty and race that puts Black boys at a one in three lifetime risk of going to jail, and Latino boys at a one in six lifetime risk of the same fate. Tens of thousands of children and teens are sucked into the Pipeline each year, Children's Defense Fund.

• Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline - It has become increasingly clear that the problems of access to quality education for African-American students are deeply entrenched and rooted in the legacy of this country’s racial caste system, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Full Report).

Fall 2007 - Prioritizing Education in Community Development Efforts - This issue of Community Investments, a publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Department of Community Development, explores the links between community development efforts and educational reform.

Fall 2007 - The Right to the City Tides Foundation Report: From policy to poverty: a structural racism analysis (pages 18-19)- Our challenge as a nation is to tackle fundamental community issues on the frontend: bringing the housing activists, the transportation activists, the education activists, and the health care activists together to create vital communities from the ground up, the Tide Foundation.

January 2007 - Gaps in Racial Equity and Strategies for Reducing Them - An illustrative (not exhaustive) inventory of areas where data consistently show such gaps or disparities in the performance of society’s various systems and markets, yielding very different results not only for different income groups, but also for different racial and ethnic groups. Reducing gaps means bringing those group averages in line, by fixing or adjusting the way those systems work. Society can’t expect our systems and markets to produce identical opportunities or outcomes for everyone individually. But we can expect them not to produce different outcomes for different racial and cultural groups, Effective Communities, LLC. Published in Pathways to Progress Resources for Focusing Philanthropy on Social Justice and Racial Equity.

November 2006 - The Architecture of a New Racial Discourse - Reframing the conversation around race in the United States, FrameWorks Institute.

May 2006 - Public School Children And Civil Rights In America - America didn't desegregate public schools, public schools desegregated America, Arizona School Boards Association.

January 2006 - Mayoral Leadership and Involvement in Education: An Action Guide for Success, United States Conference of Mayors.

December 2005 - A City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth - Recommendations include establishing family-school-community partnerships, helping parents find preschools, supporting family literacy, and encouraging family involvement in school, National League of Cities.

October 2005 - Positive Youth Development: State Strategies, National Conference of State Legislatures.

January 2005 - American Indians on Reservations: A Databook of Socioeconomic Change Between the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

2005 - Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding America’s Older Core Cities - A changing economy has hit certain areas of our country particularly hard (think: rust belt) – but it doesn’t have to stay that way. This PolicyLink guide looks at Baltimore, Cleveland Detroit, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh and offers more than 50 models and ideas for re-establishing older urban centers in a new age.

Fall 2003 - Brown versus Board of Education - A stunning report, well worth the read, College Board Review. (Learn more about the History of NCLB at Parents United.)

February 2001 - To Improve Student Learning: Ask the Right Questions, Campaign for America's Future.