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The Integrated Schools Podcast

The Integrated Schools Podcast

By: Andrew Lefkowits Val Brown Courtney Mykytyn
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About this listen

Hosts, Andrew, a White dad from Denver, and, Val, a Black mom from North Carolina, dig into topics about race, parenting, and school segregation. With a variety of guests ranging from parents to experts, these conversation strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

©2018-2025 IntegratedSchools Parenting & Families Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • A Big Tent: Parent Voice for Public Educatiion

    A Big Tent: Parent Voice for Public Educatiion
    Nov 19 2025
    In this episode, we’re stretching the boundaries of our “big tent”—the messy, hopeful space where we try to build a public education system worthy of all our kids. We sat down with Ms. Keri Rodrigues, President and co-founder of the National Parents Union, for a conversation recorded inside the U.S. Senate building (a first for us!).Ms. Rodrigues brings her whole self into this work: mother, organizer, daughter of immigrants, former student who didn’t always get what she needed from school, and fierce believer in the power of parents showing up together. While the methods of school improvement NPU has advocated for the in the past may not have felt fully aligned with our values, we share a commitment to the common good of public education—and in a moment when that institution feels increasingly under attack, widening the circle of who we can struggle with feels essential.In This Episode We Explore:Parent voice as expertiseWhy parents—especially those who’ve historically been pushed to the margins—carry knowledge that our systems often ignore, and what’s lost when family engagement is treated as transactional rather than transformational.The conditions that fuel fear-based parent movementsMs. Rodrigues offers a nuanced take on how groups like Moms for Liberty gained traction, and how a lack of authentic, respectful engagement with parents created space for bad actors to step in.Trust between families and schoolsWhat it means to leave “our hearts outside our bodies” every morning, and the very real fears that get activated when schools feel unwelcoming, dismissive, or unsafe—especially for Black, Brown, immigrant, and disabled students and their families.The broader crisis facing childrenFrom ICE raids to unregulated social media to defunding the Department of Education, Ms. Rodrigues paints a sobering picture of what American childhood looks like right now—and why focusing narrowly on academics misses the full context our kids are living in.Possibility inside the “messy middle”How unlikely coalitions (even with people we once vowed to “never work with”) can still form around shared values like literacy, safety, and teacher pay—and why bipartisan hope isn’t naïve, but necessary.Our own expectations of schoolAfter the interview, Val and Andrew reflect on power, privilege, trust, and the complicated dance between advocating for our kids and caring for all kids—work that sits at the very heart of public education in a multiracial democracy.Why This Conversation MattersIf we truly believe that public schools are foundational to a functioning democracy, then we need a tent big enough to hold disagreement, nuance, and shared purpose. Not a tent where we water down our values or ignore harm, but one spacious enough for collective problem-solving. As Ms. Rodrigues reminds us, movements built on love endure longer than movements built on fear. And right now, our kids need us rooted in love.Join the ConversationWhere do you see yourself in this big tent?What are your expectations for parent voice?How do you advocate as a parent or caregiver?How do you build (or rebuild) trust with your child’s school?Send us a voice memo: speakpipe.com/integratedschoolsCheck out our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes.Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, @integratedschools on Instagram and TikTok, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    56 mins
  • Using Stories to Inspire Change

    Using Stories to Inspire Change
    Nov 5 2025

    What happens when over 600 educators, students, organizers, and advocates gather in community to center racial equity and storytelling? We found out at this year’s Color of Education Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    In this episode, Andrew takes us inside the summit—hosted by the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity—to hear voices from across the state and country. From keynote speeches to hallway conversations, we witness the power of stories to connect, inspire, and catalyze change.

    We hear from Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith, who set the tone with vulnerability, legacy, and a call to collective action. And we meet educators, community leaders, organizers, and students whose stories underscore that equity work is personal, communal, and ongoing.

    Dr. Val and Andrew reflect on what it really means to talk about equity—and how we move beyond “access” to ensure all children can truly thrive. If you’re wondering what role stories play in building a better future, or where to find hope in hard times, this one’s for you.

    🎧 Listen in, and then tell us: What story are you carrying?

    LINKS
    • Color of Education 2025
    • Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity
    • Tara Roberts - Into the Depths (Podcast)
    • I Am Leandro Project
    • Profound Gentlemen
    • Public Schools First NC
    • Public School Forum of North Carolina

    Check out our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.

    Share your thoughts by leaving us a voice mail - speakpipe.com/integratedschools

    Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes.

    Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, @integratedschools on Instagram and TikTok, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.

    The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

    This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

    Music by Kevin Casey.



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    59 mins
  • Raising Antiracist Kids

    Raising Antiracist Kids
    Oct 22 2025

    We’re sharing a special crossover: Dr. Val and Andrew join Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs and Adam Jacobs, co-hosts of the Raising Antiracist Kids podcast, to talk about parents as partners in building antiracist school communities. We dig into why relationships—especially across lines of race and class—are core to any multiracial democracy, what it looks like for White families to show up without centering themselves, and how we nurture brave, durable school communities together. Along the way, we sit with discomfort, model grace, and keep our eyes on the long game—this is a marathon relay, and we each carry the baton for a bit.

    LINKS:
    • Raising Antiracist Kids - Tabitha & Adam's substack
    • The Raising Antiracist Kids Podcast
    • White Parents, You Can't Support Black Lives Matter & Start A Private Learning Pod- Tabitha's article for Romper back in 2020
    • Dr. Val's online organizing #ClearTheAir
    • IntegrateNYC's 5R's of Real Integration
    • Bettina Love on the spirit murdering of Black children
    • S11E14 – What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on the Failures of Integration
    • S7E2 – Moving and Choosing a School- Dr. Val's 2nd episode on the podcast

    Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.

    Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes.

    Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.

    The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

    This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

    Music by Kevin Casey.



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
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