The Strength in Diversity Act of 2025 would create a Strength in Diversity Program to fund planning and implementation grants for state and local education agencies and similar entities. The program aims to reduce racial and socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood programs, public elementary schools, and public secondary schools by supporting strategies that increase racial and socioeconomic diversity.
Grants would be competitive and could be used for planning (up to 2 years) or implementation (up to 3 years, with a possible 2-year extension). The Secretary of Education may reserve up to 5 percent of funds for national activities (research, technical assistance, and best practices) and up to 10 percent for state activities. Eligible applicants must describe their plans, define measures of racial or socioeconomic isolation when applicable, show community engagement, commit to evaluation and reporting, and consider impacts on nearby schools. Priority is given to programs that directly address racial isolation, span more than one district, or coordinate with housing and transportation agencies.
Allowed uses include assessments of segregation and outcomes, community engagement, developing options such as weighted lotteries or boundary changes, recruiting and training staff, investing in programs or transportation that are sustainable, creating streamlined enrollment systems, and efforts to increase teacher diversity. The Secretary will set performance measures to track academic, developmental, and diversity-related outcomes. Recipients must provide annual reports. The bill authorizes appropriations of "such sums as may be necessary" for fiscal year 2025 and the following five years. The Act states it does not authorize federal control over school curriculum, instruction, administration, or personnel.
No publicly available information on exact cost estimates. The bill authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" for FY2025 and the five succeeding fiscal years. The Secretary may reserve up to 5 percent of appropriated funds for national activities and up to 10 percent for state activities each fiscal year.
The bill's stated purpose is to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive strategies to address the effects of racial isolation or concentrated poverty by increasing racial and socioeconomic diversity in covered schools. Provisions require community engagement, data collection, evaluation, and priority for regional or race-focused programs, and include activities intended to increase access to diverse schools and teacher diversity.
No publicly available information on opponents' views in the bill text or provided metadata.