Surname Students Name Professors Name Course Date SCHOOL INTEGRATION The United States Supreme Court ruled in Parents Involved in 2007 that school districts could not classify students solely on the basis of race when voluntarily pursuing integration. Since then, many school districts have struggled to replace race-based assignment plans with raceneutral ones. Some see this as the end of Brown v. Board of Education and racially integrated schools. A majority of the Justices agreed that the state has a compelling interest in promoting diversity as well as avoiding racial isolation in our public schools. The Coleman Report's famous finding that "the social composition of the student body is highly related to achievement, independent of the student's own social background than any other school factor" sparked a longstanding and widespread interest in the relationship between American school student composition and the results they achieve. More integrated schools appear to be more beneficial to African American and low-income students academically. Long-standing research on academic achievement shows that African American students who attend desegregated schools achieve slightly higher levels of achievement. According to one of the definitive reviews of the early literature, desegregation has been positively linked to increases in black student achievement levels, generating gains of.57 of a grade year at the kindergarten level and.3 of a grade year in student performance at the elementary/secondary school level. Surname Desegregation appears to have a greater impact on reading achievement than on math achievement, though improvements vary by context, with younger students and those under voluntary desegregation plans benefiting the most. Some argue that because most school reforms have little or no effect on improving student outcomes, the modest impact of desegregation on student achievement is significant in comparison to these other reforms. More recent studies confirm the positive correlations between black students' test scores and the racial diversity of their schools, though some question whether standardized tests are a reliable predictor of future success. Researchers examined test score data from the No Child Left Behind Act in one of the most comprehensive studies of more than 22,000 schools and 18 million students in 45 states. They discovered that black and Hispanic students performed better in integrated schools than in segregated ones. Integrated schools benefit students of all races and ethnicities not only academically, but also socially. A growing body of research indicates that a racially integrated school environment fosters cross-racial friendships and has a positive impact on attitudes students of one racial group have toward students of other racial groups, increases comfort levels, and, in many cases, reduces stereotypes and bias. Students in integrated schools have higher levels of parental involvement, higher graduation rates, complete more years of education, earn higher degrees and major in more diverse disciplines, have greater access to professional jobs, and have higher incomes, even when a variety of other background characteristics are controlled for. Students who attend racially and economically integrated schools benefit from access to informal networks, which may help them attend more competitive colleges or find better jobs. Surname These advantages of integrated education last a lifetime; children who attend racially diverse schools live and work in more integrated settings and have higher levels of civic engagement. Given our country's changing demographics, the increasing globalization of our economy, and the need for individuals who are culturally competent, integrated education must be at the forefront of our educational reforms. References “The Benefits of Socioeconomically and Racially Integrated Schools and Classrooms.” www.Tcf.Org, The Century Foundation, 29 Apr. 2019, tcf.org/content/facts/the-benefitsof-socioeconomically-and-racially-integrated-schools-and-classrooms/?agreed=1. Kahlenberg, Richard, et al. “A Bold Agenda for School Integration.” The Century Foundation, 10 Apr. 2019, tcf.org/content/report/bold-agenda-school-integration.
