Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership Selected as Inaugural Member of The Bridges Collaborative, A Nationwide Initiative to Advance Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Education

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 9, 2020
Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership Contact: Tiffani Long, tlong@brhp.org, 667-207-2154
National Press Contact: Alex Edwards, edwards@tcf.org, 810-986-0880

The first-of-its-kind collaboration connects 56 school and housing groups from 21 states, covering 3.5 million children; Represents the most significant grassroots effort focused on school integration in decades 

Baltimore, MD – The Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership (BRHP) announced today that it was selected to join the inaugural cohort of The Bridges Collaborative, a first-of-its kind grassroots initiative to advance racial and socioeconomic integration and equity in America’s schools. The Bridges Collaborative, which officially launches this week, is coordinated by The Century Foundation (TCF), a national think tank that has helped steer the conversation on school integration for decades. 

The collaborative is unique in the world of K-12 education for its size, diversity, and mission. BRHP is joining 55 other organizations—including 27 school districts, 17 charter schools, and 12 housing organizations—which together represent more than 3.5 million children nationwide. Together, the collaborative spans more than 20 states and includes representatives from three of the five largest school districts in the country, along with other organizations of varying size, geographies, and student demographics. Other members of the cohort from Maryland include City Neighbors, Howard County Public Schools, and Montgomery County Public Schools.

Through its Baltimore Housing Mobility Program, which couples rental assistance and counseling services, BRHP expands housing, educational, and employment options for families with low incomes, who have historically been excluded from residing in well-resourced neighborhoods. BRHP currently serves over 4,300 families and approximately 8,000 children across the Baltimore region.  

“All children deserve the opportunity to attend a school that is diverse and inclusive, rigorous and innovative, and adequately and equitably funded. At BRHP, we know this pathway to opportunity begins with access to quality housing and resource-rich communities, and we are thrilled to be joining this impressive group of organizations to make this a reality for more children,” said Adria Crutchfield, executive director of BRHP. “In Baltimore, and across the country, we are witnessing a widening school resource divide among marginalized communities, making this school year particularly challenging for many students who don’t have the resources they need to participate in their education remotely. We look forward to collaborating with other housing providers and school leaders to seek and share solutions to these barriers and ensure all of our children have the opportunity to reach their highest potential.”

This unprecedented effort comes at a pivotal moment for the cause of school integration. Research has repeatedly demonstrated the myriad positive benefits for students who attend diverse and integrated schools, including higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and a host of positive social and civic outcomes. Despite the clear benefits, however, progress on integration has been extremely limited in recent decades—although those trends are beginning to change, especially with growing awareness on the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on students and schools.

Over the next two years, the collaborative will serve as a hub for practitioners from across the country, providing school and housing leaders the opportunity to learn from one another, build grassroots momentum, and develop successful approaches for integration. The initiative is led by Stefan Louis Lallinger, who most recently served as a Special Assistant to the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education and is a former school principal in New Orleans. Lallinger’s grandfather, Louis Redding, was a lawyer who argued the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education, before the Supreme Court in 1954.

“Never before has there been an organization like the Bridges Collaborative. The sheer breadth and depth of knowledge and experience represented by the 56 groups in this cohort sends a clear message: we will deliver the high-quality, integrated school experience that the next generation deserves,” said Stefan Lallinger, Director of the Bridges Collaborative at TCF. “COVID-19 and the racial reckoning we’re experiencing underscore that the fight for racial and economic justice is far from over. To have any shot at winning that fight, we must first tackle the rampant inequities and segregation in our nation’s education system. That’s exactly what the Bridges Collaborative was built for.” 

A full list of the inaugural members of the Bridges Collaborative is below. 

Inaugural Members of Bridges Collaborative (56 total) 

Kentucky

• Jefferson County Public Schools

Louisiana

• Housing NOLA
• Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orléans

Maryland

• Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership (BRHP)
• City Neighbors
• Howard County Public Schools
• Montgomery County Public Schools

Massachusetts

• Boston Collegiate Charter School
• Cambridge Public Schools
• The Metropolitan Council for Education Opportunity (METCO)
• Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)

Minnesota

• HousingLink

Missouri

• City Garden Montessori
• Urban Strategies, Inc.

New York

• Compass Charter School
• KIPP Beyond Middle School
• Prospect Charter Schools
• The Renaissance Charter Schools
• NYC Department of Education 
• NYC Community School District #1 (Manhattan)
• NYC Community School District #13 (Brooklyn)

North Carolina

• Central Park School for Children
• Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Schools
• Wake County Public Schools
• Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School District
• Inlivian (Charlotte Housing Authority)

Ohio

• Shaker Heights Public School District

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia School District

Rhode Island

• Blackstone Valley Prep

Texas

• Dallas Independent School District 
• Fort Worth Independent School District
• Dallas Housing Authority
• Inclusive Communities Project (ICP)
• NestQuest Houston

Virginia

• Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services

Wisconsin

• Milwaukee Public Schools

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