The House passed, sending it to the Senate, a bill establishes a grant program to help local school districts and communities develop and implement plans to reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic school segregation and improve the diversity of student populations at public schools.

Under the measure, the Education Department would administer the six-year program, which would provide for one-year planning grants and three-year implementation grants (with a possible two-year extension for recipients that make significant progress), with all grants to be awarded on a competitive basis. The measure authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" each year from FY 2020 through FY 2025 for such grants.

Supporters of the bill, primarily Democrats, say it is a first step towards reasserting federal efforts to integrate public schools and reverse the trend of increasing racial and economic segregation that has occurred over the past couple decades. The bill's planning and implementation grants would give interested communities the means to tackle segregation through the development of evidence-based plans created in conjunction with those local communities, they say, as well as help execute plans that will stand up to possible legal challenges. They argue that it is Congress' job to ensure all children have the same opportunities, noting that the racial and economic integration of public schools benefits all students, not only those who are economically disadvantaged.

Opponents of the bill, primarily Republicans, agree that all children should be given access to the same educational opportunities, but say the measure would produce a top-down, one-size-fits-all solution rather than giving school districts the flexibility to find their own local, grassroots solutions. They argue that the bill's grant program is unlikely to receive funding, thereby setting up a promise that won't be fulfilled, and that even if funded were provided it would benefit very few schools. It would be better, they argue, to work within existing law to provide school districts with the ability to use the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants Program under the 2015 Elementary and Secondary Education Act for purposes of further integrating public schools.

Should the Senate also pass H.R.2639, the Strength in Diversity Act?