Class-based integration
Fascinating article in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine about new efforts to integrate school districts by class, now that the Supreme Court has outlawed assignments based on race.
While the issue is probably irrelevant in much of Baltimore City, where many white, middle class parents send their children to private schools, I could see it having legs in diverse suburban districts like Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County.
The article raises a host of interesting questions: How many poor students can a majority-affluent school accommodate without a perceived decline in quality? A significant number, the researchers quoted conclude. What conditions need to be in place for class-based integration to work? A Harvard economist says affluent and poor students must be together not only in the same building, but also in the same classes. If the poor kids are all put in low-level classes, it defeats the purpose. Will class-based integration lead to racial integration? In some cases yes, in others no.
The article mentions at least one school system where economics-based school assignments seem to be working. In Wake County, N.C., the system ensures that no more than 40 percent of students at a school come from a low-income area, and no more than 25 percent speak English as a second language. Test scores have improved among both black students and poor students. But in San Francisco, a diversity plan based on socioeconomics has resulted in racial resegregation of schools.
Categories: Around the Nation, School Diversity/Segregation
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
Thanks for the link what a great article! I have a couple of thoughts.
1. Since poverty and wealth tend to be geographically concentrated, would class-based integration pose transportation difficulties?
2. In San Francisco the diversity plan based on socioeconomics led to racial resegregation, and other districts would face a similar problem, but I don't think that's a reason to scrap the plan. What's more important that our schools are racially mixed or that as a whole students of all races and classes are achieving? Achievement amongst minorities is what will propel them towards the elite schools and jobs and neighborhoods that are traditionally dominated by whites. Racial integration in these power structures may be just as important if not more so than forced integration in K-12.
Posted by: Corey | July 24, 2008 10:32 AM
All residents of Baltimore need to start participating in public education by using the system. Instead of the residents protesting the new charter school in the gentrified area in the south east Baltimore area, they could embrace the new school, get involved in it and send their children there. Over the years certain politicians, and now radio hosts have done much to keep the city divided. When i attended city schools, both Jr. and Sr. high were integrated even though my immediate neighborhood was not. If residents sent their youngsters to public schools indicated by neighborhood or choice, there would be appropriate numbers of integrated school.
Posted by: emjay | July 26, 2008 12:03 PM
Certainly, if all city residents would send their kids to BCPSS (instead of putting them into private or parochial schools, or worse yet, leaving the city with their kids and taxes) the quality of the schools would improve. More importantly the energy and sense of urgency needed to fix the schools would be there. The real question is, how do you move towards making this happen? I think that all the improvements that are being discussed, if successful, should help. Just saying people should do something isn't a solution.
Posted by: a parent | July 28, 2008 12:37 PM