In 1960 the author's world changed radically when, as a 2nd grader at P.S. 121 in East Harlem, he learned that he was among a group of students who would help fulfill the integration mandate of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In this article, the author discusses the benefits and drawbacks of his integration experiences, and of school…

Reviews evidence from research and daily classroom experience that desegregation can be extraordinarily helpful to children of all races; there is no ground for believing that desegregation is designed to benefit black and Chicano but not white children. (JM)

Uncovering the effects of school racial composition on academic achievement is difficult, because racial mixing in the schools represents a complex mixture of government and family choices. While the goals of school integration legally inspired by Brown v. Board of Education are very broad, this paper focuses on the contribution of school racial…

An analysis of 93 research studies involving 323 samples of students reassigned from segregated to desegregated schools by government action determined that differences in findings can be attributed to differences in methodology. Of the seven types of methodologies studied, randomized experiments all showed positive achievement effects. (Author/KC)

The 1993-94 school year marked the first year of the federally-assisted magnet program implemented by Charlotte-Mecklenberg (North Carolina) Schools (CMS). This paper presents the program's goals, the measurable objectives developed to meet the goals, and first-year outcomes. The goals were to reduce, eliminate, or prevent minority group isolation…

This report recounts the enrollment and participation of minority and nonminority students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Magnet Program. The 1994-95 school year was the second year in which federal support was received. The magnet program is part of a 5-year Student Assignment Plan that seeks to eliminate racial isolation and to…

As a means of achieving a unitary school system, a mandated busing policy was implemented by the Norfolk, Virginia, public school system in 1986. This study examined the extent to which individual characteristics, school characteristics, and busing affected the student achievement gap between the busing and postbusing years. Methodology involved…

Suggests that the most critical issue at this stage of the American civil rights crisis is the northern public school system's consistent practice of ignoring or sabotaging methods for increasing the academic achievement of black children and youth, while giving the impression of concern to end racism. (Author/SF)

This paper is an inquiry into integration through a study of the literature. Criterion elements in the "American rationale" for integration are determined and an examination of whether integration has, can, or will satisfy the criterion elements is undertaken. The discussion centers about the concept of culture and the purpose of education--how…

A one-year experimental program that transported a total of 38 "volunteer" disadvantaged city children to schools in a nearby suburban community was evaluated in grades 1 and 2. Twenty-six of the 38 children were in a total of 12 different classes at these two grade levels. At the conclusion of the program, transported first graders…

This paper recommends replacing the existing U.S. school choice system, which relies on the housing market to ration educational opportunity, with one that creates a level playing field upon which schools compete for students, and students and their parents exercise choice. Section 1 describes the current school choice system, which works well for…

One criticism of Milwaukee's Parental Choice Program (MPCP) made by parents and policy makers focuses on the lack of information regarding student performance across participating schools. Schools participating in the MPCP are not required to either administer standardized exams or report their scores. The Public Policy Forum's annual census of…

Asserts that judicial hostility to majority-black schools reinforces the national belief that minority-black schools are bad schools, thus insuring that integration in education must continue to reflect preference for middle-class, white behavior. (Author/JM)

Busing as a remedy for low minority achievement appears too simplistic. Educators must turn to individual educational diagnoses to determine which resources apply to learning needs. (Author/DW)