Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools: Barrier to Quality and

Equality in Education

Baris Gumus-Dawes

Main Points of the Talk• Racial and economic segregation is

intensifying in the region’s schools.

• Segregation in schools harms students and undermines quality and equality in education.

• There is no substitute for the benefits of integrated schools.

• We can do something about reducing school segregation in the Twin Cities region.

Racial and Economic Segregation in the Region’s Schools Intensified Rapidly Since

the 1990s

• Majority of elementary schools in Minneapolis are racially identifiable by a minority group.

Racial Segregation

• Majority of Minneapolis elementary schools are majority poor.

• Concentration of poverty mirrors the concentration of students by race and ethnicity.

Economic Segregation

Racial Segregation is Not Limited to the Central Cities:

The Case of Southwest Suburbs

Economic Segregation Mirrors Racial Segregation in the Suburbs:

The Case of Southwest Suburbs

• Racial segregation, which affects students of all races and ethnicities, is increasing rapidly among students of color.

• Students of color in the Twin Cities region attend segregated schools with high concentrations of poverty, while a vast majority of white students attend schools with very low poverty rates.

Racial Segregation Restricts Access to Good Schools, Good Jobs, and Decent Economic

Prospects in Life

Racial Segregation Hurts Students

• Racial segregation hurts students of color by exiling them to economically segregated schools (schools with high concentrations of poverty).

Characteristics of High-Poverty Schools that Undermine Quality of Education

• Less qualified and less experienced teachers due to high turnover among teachers

• Limited curricula taught at less challenging levels, which limits educational and career options

• Absence of positive peer competition and influence, which lowers educational expectations

Harms of Attending High-Poverty Schools

• Lower academic achievement.

• Higher dropout rates: associated with higher unemployment, lower earnings, higher imprisonment, unstable families and social structures.

• Increased risk of being poor as an adult.

Segregation Undermines Academic Achievement and Attainment

Graduation rates in the Minneapolis school district declined as racial and economic segregation in the district increased from 1992 to 2005.

The city’s 55% graduation rate compares poorly with rates of 88-100 percent in adjacent districts.

Benefits of Integration1. Integration promotes equality in

educational outcomes

• ¾ of difference in academic achievement is explained by socio-economic status of peers rather than difference in school facilities and programs

• % of poor children in schools is an extremely strong predictor of inequality in educational outcomes

Benefits of Integration2. Integration increases quality of

education for all types of students.

• All types of students do better in economically diverse schools and all types of students do worse in schools of concentrated poverty.

• Poor (low-income) students attending low-poverty schools perform better than non-poor students attending high-poverty schools; both poor and non-poor students have lower achievement in high-poverty schools.

Benefits of Integration

3. Integration offers access to social networks and interpersonal skills that in turn may provide access, information, contact, and sponsorship—important ingredients for educational and career advancement. It also provides role models, opportunities, and validation.

There is No Substitute for the Benefits of Integrated Schools

• More spending alone, without racial and economic integration, cannot provide students with environments proven to support educational success.

• Offering choice through charter schools is not the answer since majority of charter schools in the region are more racially and economically segregated than traditional public schools.

Minnesota State Education Finance Formula Allocates More Funding To Schools with High

Proportions of Poor Students

More Spending is not the Answer

State average: $8,516 per student

Minneapolis District average: $11,393 per student

Charter Schools are Racially and Economically More Segregated than

Traditional Public Schools

Economic Segregation in Charter Schools

• Poverty enrollments in MN charter schools (54%) are nearly twice that of traditional public schools (29%).

• In the central cities, charter school poverty enrollments are nearly 80% (10 or 11 percentage points higher than the already high poverty concentrations in these districts’ traditional public schools).

Racial Segregation in Charter Schools

• Growth in charter schools due to non-white enrollment growing racial segregation in charter schools.

• In 2004, 53% of charter school students were non-white, compared with only 19% of all public school students.

• Black students make up one-third of Minnesota’s charter school enrollments, yet are only eight percent of the State’s students.

• Majority of charter schools in the Twin Cities are racially identifiable.

• Nearly half of the charter schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul are “culturally centered,” or primarily serve one non-white population.

We Can Do Something About It

• The Choice is Yours Program already offers opportunities for racial and economic integration in schools.

• It needs to be expanded in scope to avoid racial and economic resegregation in receiving schools.

Contact Us:

http://www.irpumn.org