The resistance 鈥� born online through group chats and spreadsheets 鈥� has culminated in a highly coordinated effort to expose federal immigration agents and ensure vulnerable students safe passage to and from school, among other efforts. 

Marissa Bejarano, a middle and high school teacher in southeast Louisiana, is a part of this movement, attending word-of-mouth meetings 鈥� participants are asked not to post them on social media 鈥� to learn how best to protect those most impacted by Trump鈥檚 dragnet. 

The administration began its promised crackdown in New Orleans last Wednesday in operation “.” 

鈥淔or me, it feels like my nervous system is part of a collective,鈥� Bejarano told 社区黑料. 鈥淲e are connected by fear, uncertainty and the grief of not being able to rely on the future. But going to a community meeting really pulled me out of my sadness. I walked in overwhelmed but left feeling supported by a group of strangers that want to protect our immigrant community. It鈥檚 so important that no one isolates.鈥�

Bejarano, who is Mexican-American, said she spoke to a mother Thursday who had gone into hiding. The teacher was able to offer her and her children assistance and reassurance.

鈥淪he was so relieved to talk to me, to have someone listen,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were able to get her groceries, discuss a plan for her kids and now she has a local contact that she can reach out to when necessary.鈥�

Resistance efforts in other cities have included parents in Washington, D.C., forming 鈥渨alking school buses鈥� and teachers in spending their mornings scouring their community for immigration agents so they can send out a warning. In Chicago, where the confrontations have , started meal trains, ride-share programs and legal defense funds.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, denied DHS enforcement has endangered students and families, maintaining instead that organized opposition has imperiled law enforcement.

鈥淟et me be extremely clear for all media: We are NOT targeting schools,鈥� she said in an email Friday morning. 鈥淭his assertion is an abject lie. The media is sadly attempting to create a climate of fear and smear law enforcement. These smears are contributing to our ICE law enforcement officers facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them.鈥�

But many children and their families have been detained on or near school grounds since the department, through its Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection arms, began a mass deportation campaign in late spring.

Cristal Medina, 17 and who attends Charlotte鈥檚 East Mecklenburg High School, knows the risks better than anyone. Her father, Yasser Ricardo Gomez Flores, born in Nicaragua, was detained in October after delivering her to school. 

He now sits in a Georgia detention center awaiting possible deportation.

鈥淗e was detained on Oct. 21, right after dropping me off,鈥� said Medina, who is in the 11th grade. 鈥淎 group of cars surrounded him and stopped him as he was preparing to cross the bridge near East Meck. He left his van and my mom picked it up soon after.鈥� 

Medina was one of hundreds of students who walked out of class Nov. 18, just a few days after immigration enforcement agents and clashing with demonstrators. 

鈥淢y father is not a criminal,鈥� Medina told her classmates at an on-campus rally. 鈥淗e is a responsible and hardworking man who has dedicated himself to his company, showing up every day and contributing to this country. He paid his taxes. He followed the rules. He built a life here with dignity and honesty. All he ever asked for was a chance 鈥� a chance to make his dream real: to see me walk across the graduation stage, and to watch me grow into the professional I aspire to become. That dream should not be denied.鈥�

Amiin Harun, an immigration attorney who represents many Somalis in Minneapolis, said his phone has been ringing nonstop since Trump鈥檚 recent rants against his community, with the president calling its members

鈥淚t is emanating from the highest office in the land,鈥� Harun told 社区黑料. 鈥淭he most powerful man in the world is attacking one of the smallest communities in this country. It鈥檚 insane.鈥�  

Federal agents flooded the Twin Cities last week: following the administration鈥檚 order to target undocumented Somalis. 

One American-born woman of Somali descent was reportedly in the ongoing sweep.聽

Harun notes local Somalis are asking members of the Hispanic community 鈥� until now, 鈥� how to defend themselves, strategizing inside mosques, churches, community centers, on Zoom, Whatsapp and other online forums.   

Harun, who also chairs the board of the has already advised staff on what to do if ICE seeks to enter its grounds: 鈥淟ock the door, and tell them no.鈥�

In Charlotte, Juan Diego 鈥淛.D.鈥� Mazuera Arias, a formerly undocumented resident himself, is now trained to spot and verify the presence of federal immigration agents before alerting others online.

He said that while the Customs and Border Patrol officers leading operation 鈥溾�� might have come to spark fear, they ignited something else.

鈥淲e made a web of our own,鈥� Arias told 社区黑料. 鈥淥ne that protected us and that was woven by love, unity, community and laughter. In spite of fear, despair, anxiety and confusion, we always find a way to show the world who we are.鈥�

Anti-ICE efforts have extended well beyond the schoolhouse. Protesters raid in Chinatown in late November, hurling sidewalk planters into the street to block agents鈥� path. And Long Islanders gathered in bitter temperatures this past weekend to demand Suffolk County , which has been training agents at a gun range there for decades 鈥� and is now heavily patrolling its streets. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker new rules restricting immigration enforcement outside states courthouses and making it easier for residents to sue immigration agents for alleged civil rights violations. The Democratic governor said the measures would “

While pushback against the federal government’s mass deportation campaign has also sometimes , a steady undercurrent of dread is prompting many parents to keep their children at home and to avoid high-risk drop-off and pick-up times.

Student absences in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School District after agents arrived. 

Senior Zara Taty started to organize her classmates on the same day the enforcement operation began, creating a Group Meet chat with 25 people that grew to nearly 300 in a matter of days. Students used the forum to support immigrant families any way they could, including through the walkout where they chanted, 鈥淣o hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.鈥�

鈥淚 know right now we are frustrated, mad, sad, worried, scared and confused,鈥� Taty told rally attendees. 鈥淚 think it is important to remember that during these difficult times the most important thing to do is to stick together, to respect one another, to show empathy and show love.鈥�

Across the country in Los Angeles, school children are walking to campus in groups and hoping for strength in numbers. Los Angeles Unified School District families are also organizing food drives to feed their immigrant neighbors who can no longer work because of fear of deportation, an LAUSD teacher told 社区黑料. The educator, who said ICE was outside her school in mid-October, asked not to be identified because of her own immigration status. 

She said teachers have been trained in helping parents create family preparedness plans in case they are detained or deported. She鈥檚 also pushing the district, which has pledged to block ICE enforcement action, to take an even more proactive role in keeping kids safe, perhaps by having schools go into lockdown when immigration agents are nearby.

Aggressive enforcement actions have caused students鈥� grades to plummet 鈥� and it鈥檚 not just immigrant kids, she said, but the entire student body.

鈥淪tudents are exhausted,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir hearts, their minds, their souls are exhausted. And our parents are scared that they’re not going to see their kids again. It’s honestly horrific, and it’s insane because it’s been happening for so long.鈥�

Alejandra V谩zquez Baur, a fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, is director of the , a coalition of more than 150 educators, researchers and advocates from 35 states. 

She said she鈥檚 pleased to see how organized the resistance movement has become, including in California, where parents are, for example, driving half their kids’ soccer team to tournaments because others 鈥渄on鈥檛 feel safe leaving their home and they don鈥檛 want their child not to have the opportunity to engage in extracurriculars.鈥�

But no matter how much support communities show, she said, children are living through a harrowing era. 

鈥淭his is going to be a moment that many kids remember for their lifetimes,鈥� she said.

According to a survey of more than 3,000 teachers conducted by AdoptAClassroom.org, a nonprofit crowdfunding platform, teachers received a median classroom school supply budget of $200 last school year 鈥� an amount that 93% of the respondents said was not enough to cover their in-class needs.

Many teachers choose to subsidize the remainder of the costs, but it comes at a steep price. Out-of-pocket spending among teachers has increased by 44% since 2015, the survey found, with teachers reporting that they spent an average of $860 of their own money on supplies and other expenses during the 2022-2023 school year.

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鈥淭eachers spend their classroom supply budget fast,鈥� Melissa Hruza, Vice President, Marketing & Development at AdoptAClassroom.org, told 社区黑料. 鈥淓ven though they are willing to provide basic items like food and supplies for their students, their ability to pay for it is decreasing.鈥�

One big reason: teacher pay has failed to keep up with the sky high rate of inflation in recent years. Adjusted for inflation, teachers are making $3,644 less than they did a decade ago, according to the National Education Association.

Communities and parents appear to be recognizing the challenges teachers face. AdoptAClassroom.org said its site has received more donations to teachers for the 2024-2025 back-to-school season than last year.

鈥淐omparing July and August 2024 to the same period in 2023, the number of contributions to educators on AdoptAClassroom.org is currently up 13% from 2023 to 2024 so far this year,鈥� Hruza said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 also been a 9% increase in the number of both new fundraisers and total number of teachers with active campaigns.鈥�

GoFundMe has seen a similar bump. So far this year, more than $12 million has been raised for K-12 education on the crowdfunding platform. In 2023, total funds raised for educators reached over $24 million 鈥� a 7% increase from the previous year.

鈥淸P]eople don鈥檛 always see the hidden costs that end up on teachers鈥� hands, like providing additional resources for students who can鈥檛 afford small items like pencils,鈥� Shawn An, a first-year earth and environmental science teacher at Julius L. Chambers High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, told 社区黑料.

To ensure he and his students were fully prepared for this school year, An launched a GoFundMe campaign called A Classroom for Future Scientists, with a goal to raise $1,000. He ended up receiving $1,045 in donations.

鈥淲hat this funding created is the opportunity for me to bring the basic necessities into the classroom I need to succeed, like organizers and writing utensils to grade with,鈥� An said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helped me create a space where I can be efficient and to find resources for students to engage in the work we’re asking them to do.鈥�

Lightening the load

To help teachers afford the supplies they need, GoFundMe launched its own fundraising initiative called the Education Opportunity Fund. Since the fund鈥檚 launch in 2020, GoFundMe has raised more than $240,000 and has distributed more than 550 grants to teachers in order to help them afford classroom supplies and other educational resources, Leigh Lehman, GoFundMe director of communications, told 社区黑料.

鈥淭he grants were an additional step to offer help to educators and lighten their load a bit, and there are still grants available for teachers who are in need,鈥� Lehman said.

Grants of can be put toward common classroom items like school supplies, books and class decorations. Funds can also be used for other educational resources or items like field trips, playground equipment, updated technology and extracurricular activities.

Similar to GoFundMe’s grant initiative, AdoptAClassroom.org provides funding through their Spotlight Fund Grants program. This program targets classroom initiatives that address things like social-emotional wellness, Indigenous language, arts, STEM education and racial equity. Eligible teachers can apply for grants of $750 or more on AdoptAClassroom.org.

鈥淧eople all around the country want to find ways to help more teachers,鈥� GoFundMe鈥檚 Lehman said. 鈥淭hey understand there is a gap in funding and that teachers are incredibly stressed.鈥�

Keeping kids engaged

Hana Syed Khan, a fourth grade teacher in New Jersey鈥檚 South River Public Schools district, started her own GoFundMe campaign, A Classroom Built on Kindness, in August to support her efforts to make her classroom 鈥渁s useful, accessible and hands-on as possible.鈥�

Entering her fifth year of teaching at a new school in a new district, Syed Khan knew she had to be more creative with the amount of classroom space she has, materials needed and the resources available.

Her campaign raised $1,920 in funds, which she used to purchase a spin-the-wheel device, a carpet for reading time, books for the classroom library and the classroom staple Better Than Paper.

鈥淭he [kids] want to touch everything, and they should be able to. It鈥檚 their room,鈥� Syed Khan told 社区黑料.

Through sharing via family group chats, her husband鈥檚 LinkedIn account, word-of-mouth and other social media platforms, like and , Syed Khan said she 鈥渇eels fortunate to have set up the fundraiser and leverage community support for her classroom.鈥�

She plans to keep her fundraiser open to donations so she can continue to afford classroom activities and incentives with hopes to keep students engaged through the year.

鈥淪tudents in this district suffer from chronic absenteeism, which may stem from lack of transportation, parents鈥� schedule or a lack of motivation for themselves,鈥� Syed Khan said. 鈥淐lassroom incentives, like parties at the end of the month, are a really big part of what I want to use the funds for next.鈥�

Drawing from his own school experience, An said he understands that many of his students face challenges outside of the classroom. Bringing smaller tools and supplies like writing utensils and paper to class is not the first thing on their mind.

鈥淭hat can be a real barrier for students to access what teachers are asking them to do,鈥� An said. 鈥淯sing the donations to directly address those barriers helps students stay engaged to do their best in the classroom.鈥�

He used a portion of the donations he has raised to purchase a rolling cart that allows for easy access to classroom supplies.

An and Syed Khan hope their efforts inspire other teachers to overcome the fear of asking for help. For Syed Khan, it was difficult to find the right words for the campaign and the video she included to go along with it. She wanted to ensure her classroom needs were as clear as possible to potential donors.

鈥淭rying to figure out what to say to grab people鈥檚 attention was the most challenging part,鈥� Syed Khan said.

鈥淚t definitely wasn鈥檛 easy,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut when people see someone speaking and explaining what the funds will be used for, it can attract many people because they see a real human.鈥�

An experienced similar doubts about asking for help. He credits his family for providing feedback on his campaign narrative and helping him to frame his message.

鈥淢y family and I went through a co-writing process to get the point across that this was me, just as a person, asking a personal favor of people who were available,鈥� An said.

GoFundMe currently hosts webinars for educators and education-related organizations to help them learn how to effectively fundraise. They鈥檝e also updated their with tips for teachers to share their campaign and keep communities engaged.

鈥淪eeing more teachers turn to external sources of funding to help support their students鈥� needs is definitely eye-opening,鈥� An said. 鈥淚t highlights the fact that not as much care is funneled into education as I think it should be.鈥�

At the University of Virginia鈥檚 Partnership for Leaders in Education (UVA-PLE) Program, where I was the chief support officer, talent management was one of four core levers to create district conditions for schools to significantly improve. Our approach, which the . identified as having significant evidence of impact on school performance, suggests that our focus on increasing the number of highly effective teachers in schools was critical.

As districts prepare for 2023-24 staffing, here are five strategies that should be explored as a part of reimagining human resources practices and approaches to improving student outcomes 鈥� especially for underserved children.

Implement a strategic staffing approach like Opportunity Culture. , developed by the nonprofit , was launched in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2012 as part of the district鈥檚 turnaround initiative, . This approach includes several innovative models, such as multi-classroom leaders, in which teachers who have had success with improving student performance lead a small team of educators for substantially higher pay. The leader teaches students for a portion of each day; guides lesson planning, data analysis, instructional changes and small-group tutoring assignments; coaches and works directly with team members in the classroom; and models great teaching. Among the :

• Graduation rate increased from 54% to 86%, reducing the gap between the 10 L.I.F.T. schools and the district overall from 20 percentage points to less than 5.

• in L.I.F.T. schools were met or exceeded 80% of the time, a rate equal to the district’s average and higher than the state’s.

• 94% teacher retention. After Opportunity Culture was implemented, the number of teacher vacancies dropped from at the start of the school year to five.

Leverage a housing concierge concept. At UVA, our program was anchored by a partnership between the Curry School of Education and the Darden Business School. We encouraged districts to consider adopting a concierge approach, as the business sector does, to smooth the way for new staff trying to settle into a new district or city 鈥� by helping to arrange housing, register for utilities and cable, and identify options for day care and banking.

Develop lead teachers. When I was chief innovation officer for Cincinnati Public Schools, it earned the distinction as the state’s top-performing urban district, with a “B” report card rating, in part because of its career ladder for educators. The model provides stipends to teachers who go through a credentialing process, which involves earning excellent evaluations and undergoing advanced training. Underperforming schools can select these highly trained educators to work in classrooms and be teacher leaders in their building.

Provide recruitment and retention stipends. As chief turnaround officer (deputy superintendent) for the Georgia State Board of Education, I partnered with the state鈥檚 General Assembly to create a pilot program that would give chronically underperforming schools $5,000 per teacher from the state to recruit and retain highly effective educators. Teachers would receive ongoing training to benefit both their students and the school overall. Each school could receive funds for up to five teachers. To ensure some skin in the game, the legislation required each district to contribute $2,500 per teacher, meaning participating educators could receive an extra $7,500 per year. A slightly amended approach was signed into law.

Recruit talent early, as major college athletic programs do. Major college football and basketball programs identify potential student-athletes as early as possible 鈥� sometimes even in elementary school 鈥� and do recruitment and outreach until these kids accept a scholarship. Using that model, districts can use in-classroom training, student teaching and other opportunities to build early relationships with college students. This could connect to a district鈥檚 that guides graduating seniors into the teaching field in hopes they will come back to teach in a local school.

These strategies alone will not provide marginalized students with the conditions and support they need. And, of course, no two districts or communities are exactly alike. But as leaders determine their own talent strategies, reimagining talent practices should be an important part of any broad transformation effort.

鈥淭hey were both segregated middle schools,鈥� said Akeshia Craven-Howell, who until recently was assistant superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, overseeing student school assignments. 

鈥淪edgefield Middle School serves students primarily from lower socioeconomic communities and Alexander Graham serves students from communities with primarily higher socioeconomic factors.鈥�

But in 2019, the district, fueled by strong parent advocacy, tried something new. It mixed the two buildings鈥� student populations by creating a combined attendance area and rearranging which elementary schools sent students to which middle schools.

鈥淲e were able to create two middle schools that were much more socioeconomically diverse,鈥� said Craven-Howell, who now works as an advisor for Bellwether Education Partners.

Across the country, thousands of schools closely resemble the segregated Sedgefield and Alexander Graham, a new U.S. Government Accountability Office reveals. 

Over 7,800 predominantly same-race schools, it finds, are located within just five miles of a different same-race school. Widening the radius to 10 miles swells the total to over 13,500. 

Those cases may represent 鈥渓ow-hanging fruit鈥� for integration efforts, said Craven-Howell. 

鈥淚t doesn’t require a significant trade-off with home-to-school distance, which I think is often a barrier for some families when they think about school diversity.鈥�

A strong majority of parents say they would like to see schools increase their racial and socioeconomic balance, but support wanes when the undertaking involves busing programs or further travel, according to from The Century Foundation. Opponents of integration schemes often cite lengthy bus rides in their resistance to the plans.

In many cases, however, such a sacrifice is not required, said Richard Kahlenberg, the organization鈥檚 director of K-12 equity.

鈥淚t’s so often true that people will say, 鈥榃e would love integrated schools, but it’s just not logistically possible because of distances,鈥欌�� he told 社区黑料.

That鈥檚 often a false dichotomy.

鈥淒istance, in many cases, is not an excuse for segregation,鈥� he said.

鈥榃rong side of the tracks鈥�

Roughly a third of the 13,500 schools identified in the federal report belong to the same school system as their counterpart campus, meaning possible desegregation efforts would lie directly in the hands of district leaders. 

Some 9 in 10 have a pair across district lines, which can entrench racial imbalances between campuses, said report co-author Jacqueline Nowicki. (The percentages, 32% and 90%, add to more than 100% because some schools have pairs both within and outside of their district.)

鈥淲here we choose to draw school district boundaries, 鈥� that matters a lot as to where kids are going to schools,鈥� the GAO education director told 社区黑料.

鈥淪chool district lines are not God-given,鈥� added Kahlenberg. Florida and several other states, for example, use large county-based school systems to help balance their classrooms racially and socioeconomically.

Using 2020-21 data, the most recent figures available from the U.S. Education Department鈥檚 Common Core of Data, Nowicki鈥檚 team found that over a third of U.S. students 鈥� roughly 18.5 million 鈥� attend predominantly same-race schools. They applied the 鈥減redominantly same-race鈥� label to schools where students of a single race or ethnicity make up at least 75% of the enrollment. The percentage of highly segregated U.S. schools decreased slightly from 2016, the last time the GAO investigated the issue. But given increases in diversity over that time span, including more students who identify as Asian or Hispanic, the researcher doesn鈥檛 see the numbers as particularly encouraging. 

The share of students of color attending highly segregated schools, which tend disproportionately to also be high-poverty schools, ticked up, she pointed out. Those campuses, on average, have worse academic outcomes compared to their wealthier peers.

鈥淲hat does it mean, in a country that’s increasingly becoming more diverse, to have large portions of kids going to school only with other kids who look like themselves?鈥� said Nowicki.

The reasons why the U.S. continues to have divided classrooms stretch far into the past, her agency鈥檚 report explains. In one major example, redlining, a federal 1930s practice of denying home loans to borrowers of color while supplying them to white candidates, systematically reduced Black homeownership and codified racial divisions between neighborhoods. The impacts of the discriminatory policy continue to haunt education outcomes to this day. 

鈥淭his is where phrases like 鈥榯he wrong side of the tracks鈥� have come from,鈥� said the GAO director.

鈥楾he city that made desegregation work鈥�

In the case of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the recent school integration push comes on the heels of a back-and-forth history after Brown v. Board of Education.

Charlotte was as 鈥渢he city that made desegregation work.鈥� After the landmark 1971 Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ruling upheld the district鈥檚 busing scheme, the city鈥檚 integration plan became a model for cities across the southern U.S. 鈥� which in the current day are than other regions of the country.

鈥淐harlotte-Mecklenburg鈥檚 proudest achievement of the past 20 years is not the city鈥檚 impressive new skyline or its strong, growing economy. Its proudest achievement is its fully integrated schools,鈥� the Charlotte Observer editorial board in 1984.

But after a 1999 decision struck down court-mandated desegregation requirements, campuses in the area quickly became 鈥� with between its 180 schools.

In 2014, the area received sobering news: a by Harvard University researchers ranked Charlotte dead last out of 50 American cities in upward mobility, or the likelihood of low-income youth rising out of poverty.

The report blamed two main factors for the abysmal assessment: racial segregation and school quality.

鈥淥ne of the predictors of low levels of social mobility is school and neighborhood segregation,鈥� explained Kahlenberg.

When the 140,000-student district resurrected decades-old conversations on how to integrate its schools, the memory of past efforts remained vivid for many residents. There was an appetite for the changes, but they still proved difficult, said Craven-Howell. In merging communities that had different socioeconomic makeups, the district had to be careful to make sure the voices and needs of wealthier parents did not drown out those of lower-income families.

But the effort has been a success thus far, said the former Charlotte-Mecklenburg administrator, and they have begun to move the needle on integration. However, they affect only a small share of campuses. She hopes the district will continue to build on its progress and 鈥渋dentify opportunities to replicate some of the great work that was done six years ago,鈥� the last time it reviewed student school assignments.

Charlotte is not alone in the push. The district is a member of The Century Foundation鈥檚 , a network of 27 school systems, 17 charter school networks and 13 housing organizations across the country undertaking efforts to chip away at segregation in their schools and communities. Though they account for only a tiny fraction of the 13,500 segregated school pairs identified by the GAO report, Craven-Howell believes they demonstrate what鈥檚 possible. 

鈥淭here are districts all over the country who are thinking about [integration], who are trying things,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s not the case that a district has to embark on this work without there being any models or examples to look to.鈥�

And as for Sedgefield and Alexander Graham, the Charlotte middle schools that combined their student bodies in 2019, the change has worked, said Craven-Howell.

鈥淧eople don’t think about it as the two schools and the two communities that paired. They really have become a single community.鈥�

Many young people never get this type of opportunity to make connections and share expertise. For many children and families served by our organization, Communities in Schools, the 鈥� a dream, and an unlikely one. from wealthier families and economic opportunity, they are very likely to remain in cycles of generational poverty. To change this, they need a resource that isn鈥檛 measured in dollars.

Sociologists call it social capital, the connections and relationships that help people navigate toward a successful future. Colloquially, it鈥檚 who you know and how they can help you navigate careers and opportunity.

The job-shadowing experience at Albemarle was one small step toward delivering this valuable commodity to children who might not otherwise have access to it, and to help them and their families move up the economic ladder in Charlotte. , in part by helping children and their families build relationships across socioeconomic lines. These relationships provide valuable information, support and connections they would otherwise lack; empower them to unlock their own potential; and enable them to get ahead.

Other cities around the country should follow suit. Though social capital won鈥檛 show up on anyone鈥檚 balance sheet, its benefits are profound and make for a strong investment in our future. It allows people to navigate postsecondary education, , receive promotions or . Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are than their more affluent peers to have access to such important social networks that go beyond their neighborhoods and families. But they know how powerful this non-fiscal resource is, and they want it. High schoolers in Charlotte defined social capital as:

鈼徛�鈥淐reating bonds you鈥檝e never experienced before.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淲hen everyone plays a role in gaining access to opportunity.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淏uilding a better community.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淢aking a positive impact.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淭he balance of relationships and connections within a community.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淓辩耻颈惫补濒别苍肠测.鈥�

鈼徛�鈥淭辞驳别迟丑别谤苍别蝉蝉.鈥�

To us, it鈥檚 clear that boosting young people鈥檚 social capital belongs on the list of things society must do to prepare them for life. We are part of a national network of organizations that work in schools to give children the full range of supports they need to do well academically. Helping students build social capital means that when we send high schoolers to shadow professionals on the job, we鈥檙e not just telling them to put on dress clothes and introduce themselves. We鈥檙e coaching them to see themselves as leaders, build enduring relationships with the people they meet and think about the value they have to offer.

Economic segregation contributes to the problem, so it follows that the solution doesn鈥檛 lie solely with individuals. We have to take action at a larger scale, as is happening in Charlotte, Detroit, Seattle and other communities that have prioritized improving economic opportunity for those who have been left behind or stuck in the middle. , but Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is among the organizations helping to lead the way and pinpoint policies that will turn a city, its schools, its youth organizations, its cultural and faith institutions and its businesses into relationship incubators for students.

This is not a call for wealthy, privileged people to swoop in and save poor children. The children we work with, and others like them across the nation, don鈥檛 need to be saved. They aren鈥檛 helpless. They are strong, resilient, talented, full of potential and ready for opportunity. Yet they lack networks and access 鈥� to someone they can have their first conversation about college with. Or someone to teach them about growing industries. Or someone to help them crack open doors that might otherwise be closed to them.

What we鈥檙e calling for is the desegregation of social networks so every child is exposed to experiences that can open up a world of opportunity. When that happens, whole communities will be transformed.

Molly Shaw is president and CEO of Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which empowers children to succeed in school and in life. Dale Erquiaga is president and CEO of the national organization . He formerly was superintendent of public instruction for Nevada.