60 Years After<i>Brown</i>: Trends and Consequences of School Segregation

TLDR

Since the 1954 Brown decision, scholars and policymakers have closely monitored school segregation trends. The study reviews evidence on racial and economic segregation trends and consequences since Brown, proposes a conceptual model of its impact on students, and highlights areas needing further research. The authors examine how desegregation litigation, demographic shifts, and residential segregation shape segregation trends, and construct a conceptual model linking segregation to student outcomes. Major declines in black‑white segregation occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but recent trends are contested and vary by definition, region, and group, while economic segregation has risen since 1990.

Abstract

Since the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, researchers and policy makers have paid close attention to trends in school segregation. Here we review the evidence regarding trends and consequences of both racial and economic school segregation since Brown. The evidence suggests that the most significant declines in black-white school segregation occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There is disagreement about the direction of more recent trends in racial segregation, largely driven by how one defines and measures segregation. Depending on the definition used, segregation has either increased substantially or changed little, although there are important differences in the trends across regions, racial groups, and institutional levels. Limited evidence on school economic segregation makes documenting trends difficult, but students appear to be more segregated by income across schools and districts today than in 1990. We also discuss the role of desegregation litigation, demographic changes, and residential segregation in shaping trends in both racial and economic segregation. We develop a general conceptual model of how and why school segregation might affect students and review the relatively thin body of empirical evidence that explicitly assesses the consequences of school segregation. We conclude with a discussion of aspects of school segregation on which further research is needed.