Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between the racial composition of a school and educational outcomes for public school high school students. The findings clearly pointed to a positive relationship between school racial composition and outcomes for 11th grade students. As the U.S. becomes more diverse and multiracial, it is critical to ascertain the importance the roles that schools play in preparing students to live in such an environment.
The findings from the research indicate that students in the desegregated school exhibited different, perhaps more robust, perceptions of civic participation than did their segregated counterparts. These students not only believe that they can work more successfully across racial and ethnic divisions, but also that they are better able to understand members of other groups. The students credited their school experiences as contributing to their ability to work with diverse groups of people.
Although this study does not claim that school level racial diversity single-handedly affects these educational outcomes, it does appear to play an important role in the development of students. This research does suggest that a diverse school may contribute significantly to student educational outcomes associated with both academic development and critical abilities needed to work and live in a diverse settings; skills that are becoming increasingly important as we embark on a progressively more multiracial 21st century. To that end, pursuing desegregation policies can be beneficial to all students.