School Desegregation in the 21st Century

Book flyer
MS Word
International
MS Word

"Edited by Christine H. Rossell, David J. Armor, and Herbert J. Walberg"

ISBN: 0-275-97769-2

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97769-6

DOI:

360 pages

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 9/30/2002

List Price: $105.00 (UK Sterling Price: £72.95)

Discount Price: $52.50 Sale Price for U.S. Customers Only. Save 50%. Ends 12/31/2009.

Availability:

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

Rossell, Armor, and Walberg have edited one of the most comprehensive books on school desegregation in the 20th century....This book offers students and scholars in the fields of race relations, racial desegregation/integration, urban education, and other relevant disciplines an historical context from which to understand the peculiarly American dilemna of school desegregation....Highly recommended.
—Choice May 2003

Description: The biggest success of school desegregation plans has been the almost universal belief that racial discrimination is immoral and the commitment on the part of school districts to promoting and maintaining racial diversity in the schools. However, mandatory reassignment plans and plans with racial quotas have had serious costs—white flight and protest voting—and limited benefits—the racial gap in achievement was not reduced by school desegregation nor was there a significant improvement in race relations in school districts with desegregation plans. The authors of this book take a critical perspective on school desegregation policies and suggest compensatory funding and school choice as the solution to the problems of racial separation and the achievement gap.

Leading scholars in the fields of history and law have assembled an enormous amount of empirical data on the outcomes of school desegregation and conclude that the policies of the past—mandatory reassignment and strict racial quotas—had too few benefits and too many costs to make them viable alternatives for the future. Chapter topics include the history of school desegregation, the development of the law, the desegregation effectiveness of remedies, ability grouping and classroom desegregation, racial disparities in school discipline, intergroup relations, the attitudes and opinions of adults in desegregated school districts, and the outlook for the future.

The authors conclude that one of the biggest successes of school desegregation is that there is almost universal acceptance of the principle that racial discrimination is immoral. But school desegregation has had some important failures as well, most importantly, the failure to improve the academic achievement of black students and race relations between black and white students in desegregated schools. There have also been some serious costs—white flight and protest voting—associated with forced busing and the use of strict racial quotas. The concluding chapter argues that the solution to racial disparities in achievement, and to racial separation, lies in compensatory education for low achieving, poor children and school choice programs that do not use racial criteria but provide financial assistance to low-income families.

Table of Contents:

Assessing the Promise of Brown by Christine Rossell, David Armor, and Herbert Walberg
History of Desegregation by Jeffrey Raffel
Legal Issues in School Desegregation by Alfred Lindseth
The Effectiveness of Desegregation Plans by Christine Rossell
School Desegregation and Demographic Change by William Clark
Desegregation and Academic Achievement by David Armor
Ability Grouping and Classroom Desegregation by Christine Rossell
Racial Disparities in School Discipline by Charles Achilles
Improving Intergroup Relations in the Schools by Walter Stephan
Attitudes on Race and Desegregation by Christine Rossell and David Armor
The Outlook for School Desegregation by Christine Rossell, David Armor, and Herbert Walberg

LCC Class: 379


All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO 130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117, 805-968-1911