In A Single Garment, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley explores the leadership, policies, and practices that support contemporary school integration. Drawing on a wide range of sources, as well as her own experience as a parent, former student, and teacher, Siegel-Hawley provides a richly layered account of four Richmond, Virginia schools, each committed to building successful, diverse communities as a foundation for a just, democratic society. Siegel-Hawley explores a range of internal and external considerations for promoting integration through portraits of four schools: a preschool, a suburban elementary school, an urban middle school, and a regional high school. She takes an in-depth look at how students are assigned to classrooms, how families are engaged, and who gets access to what curricula and which teachers. Siegel-Hawley also delves into what it takes to bring students together in the first place, and how policies and practices regarding student assignment and school choice, transportation, and outreach can work to support or undermine integration. Timely and compelling, A Single Garment, makes a powerful argument in favor of local, intentional integration efforts at a critical moment. The book illuminates a way forward for school leaders, policy makers, and others interested in pursuing equitable education in an age of shifting demographics and divisive politics.
