From Serial and the New York Times, this is the fifth and final episode of Nice White Parents.

From Serial Productions, I'm Kana Joffi Walt, this is Nice White Parents.

A series about the 60 year relationship between white parents and the public

school down the block. A series that was meant to be told in four episodes. And yet, I'm still talking. I never expected to make a fifth

episode. I'd already gone back to the beginning of the school and all the way

through the present day. 60 years in one building I felt like I'd seen all the way through the present day, 60 years in one building, I felt like I'd seen all the various

ways nice white parents will participate in public education and the limits of that participation.

I understood that nice white parents might opt into certain integrated schools

under certain circumstances, but they, we, were not going to make way

for a fully integrated equitable school system.

Because an equitable school system would likely mean the schools our kids go to would get

less money, not more. Our kids might get less access to the most

experienced teachers and the best facilities, so of course we were not going to

make way for that. And nobody was going to force us. White parents will stand in the

way of truly equal schools. The end. That's how I plan to end this. I mean let's keep trying, but basically the end. Have a nice day.

But then, something big happened in the very same school system I've been looking at for years.

New York City is broken up into a bunch of school districts,

the school I've been focusing on, I S-293, Nathan Hale, SIS, BHS, whatever you want to call it,

that school is in District 15.

And just recently, after I finished my reporting,

District 15 rolled out a diversity plan to integrate its schools.

And it was a real plan, not just for a few curated schools, but every single middle school in this one district that on

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