Are integrated schools better?
Bergstrom, Jim & Fuerst, J.S.
attempt to bring about progressive change. For example, in avoiding the administrative nightmare of a single massive 1974, the Burger Court ruled that, for purposes of the Equal ...
...In virtually all of the schools larly indicated that many of the black children in her school where black youngsters had been present for a number of were performing at high levels...
...William Ruckelshaus (1974) (1961) and Bob Hope (1962) follow, but then the cho- and Richard Lugar (1978) are there, both no doubt as sen Patriots break out of the anti-Communist mold and Hossier favorite sons, but in Ruckelshaus's case also as begin to mirror the optimism of Camelot...
...John has indicated, while the research in whether such integration, through busing, causes white these studies (as in ours) does not "scientifically" establish flight...
...It seems morally wrong as well...
...What happened to the reading scores of black chil- cases, like Hyde Park's Ray School and Bret Harte School, dren, and what happened to the school population...
...I SHOW ME a hero," wrote Fitzgerald, "and I Daniel Berrigan...
...by being bused into a neighborhood with schools containing Similar scores were found at the Pershing School serving empty classrooms...
...These youngsters, however, years-in ratios between 5 and 40 percent-no decreases lived in an all-black area contiguous to the white area and occurred in average school reading scores...
...Beginning ten years ago, about 600 black children were Was there improvement in the reading scores of the black bused into eight schools in the "Austin" busing program in children who were placed in white schools...
...In 1971 and 1972 this trend culminated in the naming of radical lawyer William Kunstjer and Fr...
...In simpler terms, do black pupils gain-if they gain-at that there was no conclusive evidence that black children the educational expense of white pupils...
...But the shift in Notre Dame's choice of of Notre Dame started a program whereby each senior heroes involved more than the war...
...If so why...
...The our school systems, and in our housing and living arrange- real-world question is whether in the types of all-black ments, have considerably slowed the "deliberate speed" schools that are almost universal, youngsters have any chance mandated by the Supreme Court...
...For show the country's lack of direction and a discomfort the next few years the choices of Notre Dame seniors with heroism itself...
...the standard performance without massive changes or busing...
...In several school...
...By 1969 patriotism was not in such good repute, and HERO OF THE YEAR the honor was thereafter called the Senior Fellow AMERICAN HISTORY IN MICROCOSM Award...
...nearly all of their schooling...
...he now says that gated schools could not be equal was the deplorable such procedures may not help...
...J. S. FUERST is Assistant Director of Urban Studies at Loyola Univer- Recently we studied these questions by following the readsity in Chicago...
...1957-would be the opposing candidate was, of The list in the late 1970s shows our growing disillucourse, not clear in the spring...
...The to the future of school integration and white resistance to point, inferred if not explicitly stated, is that integration, at busing, and that is whether integration has a negative impact least educationally, may not be useful...
...And with the exception of Kunstler and Berwas the choice for the first year of the new decade, a rigan there is not a name on the list that the American significant move for the seniors since that was an elec- establishment of the past 25 years would not be comtion year...
...Periodical literature and news media abound with arthat black children do better in integrated schools where all guments on both sides...
...William The years after Watergate reveal more than a withWestmoreland in 1966 and 1967...
...Everett Dirksen and Gen...
...Board of Education children is a central question, but the fight among psycholothere have been enormous improvements in the situation of gists about whether the mere placement of a black child in an American blacks...
...Jim Bergstrom is a Graduate Assistant in the Urban ing scores and population changes in forty integrated Chicago Studies Program at Loyola...
...more moderate president, Howard Miller, who lost in a recall The harsh truth in Los Angeles, as in almost all of the large election...
...The most efficient approachProtection Clause, education was not a `fundamental con- one which would cut down on long distance busing-would stitutional right...
...They may be correct in estimating the psychol- dating a 71-29 percent white/black ratio in schools, the DiCommonweal: 528 rector of Pupil Assessment indicated that the most important the variables are the same, they certainly indicate that black results after integration were displayed in elementary classes youngsters do better in integrated schools where the services where students have been integrated in classes for all or are better, the classes smaller and the students are motivated...
...to progress in the way they would in most, if not all, white Recently, moreover, studies have proliferated questioning schools, where the standards and services are of greater qualwhether black youngsters placed in white schools perform ity...
...At present few if any white schools do not have at years in reading scores of 129 children, mostly black, bused least some black children...
...To be specific, we considered eleven racially integrated Integration is not, then, indispensable to high reading scores...
...In the 1950s the class presented an award to an outstanding American...
...Similarly in twenty- governmental study of 600 Southern schools in the 1971-72 four schools where black children were introduced through school year indicated that black children generally do better the "permissive transfer program" in the past two years, few academically in schools with racial balance of 20 to 40 schools showed increases or decreases in reading scores...
...Fear that such is the improved their scores through busing to white schools...
...Since Brown vs...
...A major slightly above the national norm of 8.8...
...One could find The sudden, sharp rejection of America's involvemore than a hint of a quarter century of ment in Vietnam is perfectly mirrored in the selection, American tragedy-and American comedy-in at least within two years, of men as different as Westmoreland one list of heroes...
...For the eighth grade schools...
...The Cold War and anti-Communism were Interesting, nonetheless, is the total absence from a the threads tying this diverse group together...
...tricts...
...A case is said to be a major factor behind "white flight," a controversial topic in itself...
...Robert Griffin, 1973), a Nations, John Glenn (1964), for his achievement in football coach (Ara Parseghian, 1975), an athlete and space, and Sargent Shriver (1965), for his leadership of wounded Vietnam vet (Rocky Bleier, 1976), and a carthe Peace Corps and War on Poverty, dominate the toonist known for puncturing political pretensions early '60s...
...while white children learn at their accustomed rate...
...winners all reflected the values typical of a Midwestern Initially the Notre Dame seniors designated their choice Catholic university: they were generally politically as Patriot of the Year, the first Patriot being-who conservative or, as in the case of the two Kennedys, else?-J...
...John of the on the overall educational achievement of the school populaUniversity of Massachusetts reviewed 120 studies and said tion...
...In those nineteen inte- may have been connected with the selecting of the youngsters grated schools with substantial numbers of black children, in the program...
...But in California, New Jersey and Connecticut, civil The proposed metropolitan solution to the problems of Los rights lawyers have persuaded state supreme courts that the Angeles has, of course, not been without opposition...
...1978 reading scores of children in the second grade averaged Our study, then, provides mostly individual views as to 3.7-a 10 percent increase over 1972...
...selection of Sen...
...Their (1958) for his relentless investigation of the Teamsters, choices of McCarthy, Kunstler and Berrigan could just and finally to that great American patriot Wernher von as easily have been made by Harvard or Yale seniors...
...To be sure, the hottest controversy in the field is over As Nancy St...
...As a result, it refused to order property tax be to divide Los Angeles into quadrants, for educational purequalization between central city and suburban school dis- poses, and integrate each one with contiguous suburbs...
...the selections A dramatic shift takes place in 1968, however...
...Likewise a study by the South- Moreover, she added, integration "in the long run increases ern Regional Council found that generally black children the aspiration, self-esteem and sense of environmental conlearn more in desegregated schools than in segregated ones, trol for black youth...
...There is a second question, however, of equal importance any better...
...Thereafter in the 1950s the symbolized a certain pride in the accomplishment of award went to people like Gen...
...But discussion declining birth rates and the general city-to-suburb population with the principals in these schools indicated that while there movement...
...Twenty-five years ago the University and McCarthy...
...second, from families in professional and managerial occupations...
...condition in virtually all the public schools serving predomi- Whether integrated education improved the skills of black nantly black children...
...At the Equal Protection Clauses of the state constitution should be end of May, Roberta Weintraub, an arch-foe of busing, was more broadly interpreted to recognize the centrality of educa- elected to the Los Angeles Board of Education, replacing its tion and to order tax equalization among school districts...
...Gardner, in fact, was the last of the "Patriots...
...Supreme Court decision manwhite flight...
...28 September 1979: 529...
...Looking over the list, one thinks are all critics of American society: John Gardner already of a lost, and more innocent, America...
...quarter century of heroes of women or members of any The trend continues into the '60s...
...Eugene McCarthy (1969) and Allard Low- (John P. Ros.si leaches history at LaSalle College in enstein (1970), leader of the "Dump Johnson" move- Philadelphia...
...One began in 1977 and has bused an additional 2800 black chil- principal, Hiram Broyles of the Burbank School, produced a dren into predominantly white schools-our third group of study showing an improvement over a one-year period of 1.4 schools...
...the short-lived, and the black children soon became an accepted programs were limited to families volunteering to have their part of their classes...
...In 1972 for the integrated schools in our study was 3.4 com- short, the continued improving scores of many of the schools pared to the city-wide average 2.8...
...Has it with 40 percent or more black youngsters, the reading scores declined since the black children entered...
...Although the original busing pro- to his school from the inner city...
...For example, in avoiding the administrative nightmare of a single massive 1974, the Burger Court ruled that, for purposes of the Equal metropolitan school district...
...One principal, Jean Junker of the Kellogg School, simiWhat did our study show...
...These students were in a sense selected children bused and to children neither "receiving" nor "recsince they came from families who volunteered to have their ommended" for special remedial education...
...Curtis LeMay (1956), American Catholics...
...schools in racially integrated areas where black families had Nonetheless Pershing is an exception among all-black moved for many years in varying numbers such as Hyde Park schools in the inner city, where scores hover around 2.5 for (University of Chicago neighborhood), Lincoln Park (near the second grade and 6.2 for the eighth...
...and, third, by a more general busing pro- only black children-but again a group of middle- and gram into all-white schools...
...In the 1960s Notre Dame students Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1955), Robert F. Kennedy fell in with the rest of the nation ideologically...
...JOHN P. ROSS] Cause, Sen...
...In 1979, (1968), Secretary of HEW and founder of Common fittingly enough, no one was chosen...
...upper-income blacks from a middle-income housing project...
...The average second grade score in buy the moderately priced single-family homes in the area...
...drawal from political life and passion...
...The older patriotism briefly returns with the (Garry Trudeau, 1977...
...Otherwise politicians Adlai Stevenson (1963), for his service at the United give way to a clergyman (Rev...
...children bused to white areas...
...J. S. FUERST & JIM BERGSTROM major proponent of school integration, James Coleman of the University of Chicago, has revised his belief that integration THE MOST IMPORTANT factor motivating the Supreme of black children with white children would necessarily raise Court, twenty-five years ago, to declare that segre- the educational level of black youngsters...
...Richard M. Nixon minority...
...Hyman Rickover sionment with politics...
...Edgar Hoover...
...gration of outlying schools must have limits of 15 to 20 Similarly in Charlotte-Mecklenberg, the county which percent black children in order to allay fears and prevent furnished the unanimous U.S...
...People like a genuflection toward Watergate...
...Black children had been introduced into the schools we These results, it should be noted, remind us of the imporstudied in different ways: first, because their families were tance of social class and family background in educational residents in the neighborhood or had moved into a contiguous achievement...
...Is it even possible such students do worse...
...Not surprisingly, liberal sociologist Thomas in the Detroit case rejecting metropolitan desegregation not Pettigrew has been one of Judge Egly's advisers...
...in many cases were mostly from middle-class families who had elected to there were increases...
...For other reasons, liberal members of the California children within the confines of the central city to make mean- Supreme Court have been recently under attack, which may ingful desegregation possible...
...In both these schools to a maximum of 15 percent) were introduced, the furor was the children who were bused were in a sense selected...
...Fred Williams, principal of gram caused considerable hostility at the outset among the the Irving Park School, indicated a similar increase in scores white ethnic homeowners into whose schools the children (up of black children bused to his school...
...schools, nineteen of which black youngsters have been at28 September 1979: 527 tending during the last seven to ten years...
...His study only seems, as a practical matter, to defeat the promise of has shown how a metropolitan approach can be adopted while Brown...
...will write you a tragedy...
...Yet the suburban noose that the Burger Court approved tion as well...
...But in spite of progress in school integra- all-white classroom promotes or undermines self-esteem and tion and improved educational opportunities, the rigidities in educational achievement is a relatively theoretical one...
...In the crucial eighth specific improvements of black children in these schools...
...There isno question that the introducment...
...Now anti-busing forces have a majority on the cities in this land, is that there will soon not be enough Anglo board...
...And in the second grade are 4.0 and 4.2 respectively, virtually 50 was this population decline different from that of other percent higher than city-wide averages...
...there are startlingly high scores of 10.0 and 10.2...
...In no way can the DePaul University), Near Northside (near Loyola...
...Nancy St...
...These bulk of the children in these schools have a chance at meeting schools served 4600 children and 1500 blacks...
...Braun (1959...
...Bringing in the suburbs will make them reluctant to order a metropolitan plan into effect not-only result in racial integration, but social class integra- soon...
...RESULTS FROM A CHICAGO STUDY Are integrated schools better...
...percent-not more-than in schools with overwhelmingly Many principals maintained that any attempt at racial inte- black or white majorities...
...Our study did not Chicago, because these schools had empty classrooms, due to examine statistically scores of black children...
...Yet grade, scores in the nineteen integrated schools were at 8.9, other studies appear to offer additional evidence...
...Many of these children, black and white, are neighborhood with overlapping school boundaries...
...were students, black as well as white, whoo did not do well, A similar program referred to as "permissive transfer" the black children on the whole improved enormously...
...We were interested ogy of white parents in these areas, but quite clearly these in learning what happened to general reading scores in the fears do not have validity on an educational basis...
...That John F. Kennedy, an earlier choice- fortable with...
...These were our second group of schools...
Vol. 106 • September 1979 • No. 17
