# The Strength in Diversity Act of 2021

This bill creates a new federal grant program designed to help schools become more racially and economically diverse. The core idea is straightforward: many American schools are heavily segregated, with some schools serving mostly wealthy white students while others serve predominantly low-income students of color. This bill provides money to school districts and states that want to change that pattern.

The program works in two stages. First, schools can apply for planning grants (up to one year of funding) to study their current situation and figure out what strategies might work. During this phase, they'd assess how segregated their schools are, look at transportation options, examine teacher diversity, and most importantly, hold public meetings to get input from parents and community members about what changes they'd support. They'd then develop several possible approaches—like changing school boundaries, using lottery systems to assign students, or creating specialized programs that draw students from across district lines.

Once a school district has a solid plan, they can apply for implementation grants (up to three years, potentially extended to five) to actually put those strategies into action. The money can go toward hiring teachers and staff for new or expanded schools, creating specialized academic programs that attract diverse groups of students, setting up transportation systems, or developing better enrollment processes so families can easily access different school options. The bill emphasizes that whatever approach is chosen must have genuine community support and must be sustainable after the federal funding ends.

The bill requires schools receiving grants to track their progress on several measures: whether student achievement is improving (especially for students of color and low-income students), whether graduation rates are rising, whether schools are becoming more diverse, and whether racial and economic isolation is actually decreasing. Schools must report this data annually so the federal government and the public can see whether the strategies are working. The bill also sets aside some funding for research and technical assistance to help schools learn from each other's experiences and adopt best practices.

Strength in Diversity Act of 2021

Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"

Strength in Diversity Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.