Today the Supreme Court will hear cases on school integration involving districts in Seattle, Wash. and Louisville, Ky. The decision, which will not be issued until next year, will have a profound impact on diversity in our nation's public schools.

Voluntary integration programs ensure racial balance in districts where economic stratification may otherwise keep students of color in lesser quality schools.

Here are the two cases the Supreme Court will hear today:

1) The District: Jefferson County Public Schools. Fifty-eight percent of students in the district are white and 36 percent black. Other races account for less than 5 percent of the total.

·    The Program: The Jefferson County redistricting program ensures each school's enrollment is at least 15 percent black, but no more than 50 percent black. Elementary schools are grouped into clusters based on students' residence and students select their top choice within that cluster.

·    Court History: Jefferson County school district in Louisville had been court-ordered to desegregate 30 years ago. A judge lifted the order in 2000, but the district adopted cluster-districting policies to avoid the divisive impact of economic stratification.

·    The Plaintiff: Crystal Meredith says her son was denied a transfer request based on his race in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment.

2) The District: Seattle School District No. 1. About 60 percent of the 46,000 students in the system are people of color.

·    The Program: Race is one of the "tiebreakers" used when a high school has too many applications.

·    Court History: More than 75 percent of the district's students of color live in the southern half of the city. Residential segregation prompted the district to employ race-conscious enrollment policies. Last year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th circuit upheld Seattle's plan.

·    The Plaintiff: A group of parents argue the race-based tiebreaker violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Why we still need school integration

The combined effects of poverty and race diminish access to advanced-placement and college prep classes for students of color. According to the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, white students are:

·    3.3 times more likely than black and Latino students to be in accelerated programs

·    4.1 times more likely than black and Latino students to be in math AP courses

Students of color twice as likely to be taught by teachers with less than three years' experience, which may impair their ability to move on and succeed in later grades.

Diverse public schools endow students with the cultural competencies and experience they need to thrive in K-12, higher education and the work force. U.S. students already are falling behind other countries in terms of standardized test scores. The current model is not sustainable, and we clearly cannot afford to regress.

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