Our work
Massachusetts schools are segregated.
Together, we can change that.
Massachusetts has made important education policy improvements in recent years but still hasn’t addressed a foundational flaw: persistent segregation by race, ethnicity, and income.
If we want to deliver on the promise of equal opportunity for all we must — and can — give every child access to integrated, well-resourced public schools.
We’re suing Massachusetts to end school segregation.
Massachusetts schools are among the most segregated in the country, especially by economic status.
Massachusetts leads the nation in public education outcomes, but beneath the surface is a hard truth: Massachusetts’s top-ranked education is not equally available to all students.
Segregated schools and school districts are denying students of color and low-income students the promise of a fair shot to live out their dreams.
Segregation data comes from The Segregation Tracking Project. Racial segregation data comes from the 2024 RIAC Annual Report. Opportunity gap data comes from The Nation’s Report Card.
Massachusetts schools are the 5th most segregated by economic status
Massachusetts has the second-highest level of between-district economic segregation in the country
63% of Massachusetts public schools are racially segregated
Massachusetts has wide opportunity gaps by race and class
Percentage of students who are proficient in math
What we can do
Over the last several years, we've talked with families, students, educators, and worked with advocates across Massachusetts — in Lynn, Springfield, Holyoke, and beyond. We've heard the same truth again and again: segregation is the result of bad policy decisions, and our kids deserve better. That's why we created From Barriers to Belonging, a comprehensive policy agenda that translates years of community engagement into a playbook for real change. It tackles the root causes of segregation and offers proven solutions.
This is the roadmap Massachusetts has been waiting for. Now it's time to put it to work.
A comprehensive policy agenda to dismantle school segregation in Massachusetts
Community engagement sessions
March 12, 2026
April 15, 2026
May 4, 2026
Community Engagement Sessions
Boston, MA
October 16, 2024
August 1, 2025
October 28, 2025
March 10, 2026
Community Engagement Sessions
Holyoke, MA
May 29, 2024
December 12, 2024
March 27, 2025
August 1, 2025
October 15, 2025
February 24, 2026
Community Engagement Sessions
Springfield, MA
Massachusetts team
Cara Berg Powers
Massachusetts State Director
GeDá Jones Herbert
Of Counsel
Andrea Hamilton Watson
Legal Director
Stephen Owens
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Get involved
If you have an idea for the best place for our next listening session, please let us know!