Mitigating Milliken? School Desegregation Experiences in Four Southern Metropolitan Areas, 1990-2010

• In Event: Examining Intergovernmental Assumptions About School Integration

Abstract

District boundary lines that contribute to multiple, fragmented and unequal school systems within a single metro area play a central role in facilitating segregation and limiting educational opportunity. With an eye towards the contemporary judicial and political climate, this study seeks to understand how patterns of school segregation are affected by various types of desegregation policy (e.g. controlled choice versus magnet schools) and boundary line arrangements in four different metropolitan contexts. Areas continuing to operate under comprehensive metropolitan desegregation policies displayed remarkably integrated schools. In metros where desegregation plans have been significantly altered, or even dropped altogether, findings tell a story of what was lost, but also what might yet be regained.

Author

• Genevieve Parker Siegel-Hawley, Virginia Commonwealth University