Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2005 > September > 26 > Entry
Maybe integration busing helps after all
Nearly everyone has decided busing white and minority students around to create racial balance in schools was a bad idea. American courts have spent most of the last 30 years dismantling programs meant to destroy seperate, unequal dual school systems where black schools were routinely given fewer resources.
But what if integration busing actually helps?
Well in Raleigh, N.C., they’ve busing kids all over the county, and minority test scores just keep going up.
Actually, the Harvard Civil Rights Project, a highly respected research group led by Gary Orfield has been arguing for years that integration works. Orfield says integrated schools narrow the apalling achievement gap between the test scores of white students and those of minority kids.
Interestingly, in Raleigh they are busing not for racial balance, but to balance the schools economically. They try to keep low income enrollment at no higher than 40 percent in any school. In North Carolina, most school districts are countywide, which means they include both city and suburbs.
There is a lot of political resistence to busing. Parents don’t like it. Almost nobody likes the idea of their kids being on a school bus longer than they have to
But if, as some believe, the achievement gap is America’s biggest educational problem, and if integration busing really does help, should more cities be trying it instead of dismantling their busing systems?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Urban School Issues
Comments
By Doug
September 26, 2005 8:54 PM | Link to this
I am not surprised by the positive results in Raleigh due to economically balnced schools. If I was in a county school, I wouldn’t worry about a long bus ride for my child if the school he was attending was good. Kids are resilient and they adapt to these kind of things. I would tell the parents who are complaining in Raleigh to consider the long bus ride a contribution to making society better. We all have to give something up to make the country better. A long bus ride seems like a reasonable sacrifice.By Constance Robinson
September 26, 2005 4:15 PM | Link to this
This is an example of, “It’s not what you do but how you do it”. Most cities bussed hopeful, middle class and lower middle class African Americans to poor white neighborhoods. The result was that hostle attitudes seemed justified because the children had nothing in common. Moreover, the teachers were as hostile as the children because they had consoled themselves in the face of poor students with “at least they are white.” Never underestimate the racist attitudes of white America. The Wake County story is so different because the per cent of minority is low. The other thing in its favor is the number of African Americans whoare doing well already both socially and academically. That makes comfort for the poorer African American children. It also reduces the likelihood of the tracking stunt to separate children racially. In short, this is a positive story, but it is not an excuse to continue Dayton’s or Ohio’s brand of bussing. Thank you for the article and the opportunity to rspond. Constance