Education

School Choice Programs - Integration Revenue

Statewide Outcome(s):

Integration Revenue supports the following statewide outcome(s).

Minnesotans have the education and skills needed to achieve their goals.

Context:

This program exists to ensure children experience their education with other racial groups. Studies have shown that students who attend integrated schools are less likely to develop prejudice as adults. The program is also intended to close the achievement gap. This program serves K-12 students attending public schools or districts eligible under the Desegregation Rule 3535.0100-180. Integration revenue is used to support implementation of cross-district programs or programs designed to create racial balance at a qualified school site. Integration revenue is funded through local levy (30 percent) and state aid (70 percent).

Strategies:

Integration Revenue supports the implementation of programs and initiatives intended to address the following two goals: for students to have increased and sustained contact with students from other racial groups and to provide improved educational opportunities and outcomes designed to close the academic achievement gap.

Schools identified as having a higher percentage of protected class students when compared with other schools within their district must develop a plan to create racial balance at that school site.  Eligible districts also include districts adjoining a racially isolated district as defined by the Rule and districts which volunteer to work with such a district on cross-district programming.

MDE establishes guidelines and provides technical assistance to school districts to ensure that their integration revenue-supported expenditures are aligned with the goals of the integration statue. Use of integration revenue must also be consistent with the school board-approved integration plan required for receipt of integration revenue and can include, but is not limited to, the following strategies:  cooperative transportation, incentives for low income students to transfer to non-racially isolated districts, developing cooperative magnet schools or programs, recruiting teachers of color, shared extracurricular activities, and providing smaller class sizes. Strategies included in an approved plan must address the goals of the integration revenue program.

Results:

MDE provides technical assistance on development and evaluation of integration plans and oversight on expenditure of revenue. We have established budget guidelines, tracking systems, and reporting requirements to provide oversight and guidance on the use of funds.

Districts have not previously generated the data needed to confirm that they have met either of program goals of increasing students’ contact with other racial groups or closing the achievement gap. MDE is developing an evaluation process in order to report on these goals. This evaluation process is designed to provide a consistent, standardized format for determining the extent to which each district has met the goals of this program and the extent to which the funding has enabled districts as a whole to meet these two goals.

Performance Measures Notes:

1.     Previous Data: Prior to 2010 / Current Data: 2011

2.     Previous Data: Prior to 2010 / Current Data: 2011

3.     Previous Data: Prior to 2010 / Current Data 2011. MDE is currently developing a new evaluation and reporting process that will dramatically increase the number of participating districts providing evaluation reports to MDE, which will help the department better understand program outcomes.