Harbor-ing Resentments: A Mixed-Methods Critical Policy Analysis of School Desegregation in Benton Harbor, Michigan

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Desegregation, Resegregation, and Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract

This mixed-methods critical policy analysis explores historical and contemporary contexts of school desegregation in Benton Harbor, a predominantly Black school district in Southwest Michigan. Democratic Governor Whitmer’s plan to close the high school has drawn renewed attention to the complex history of segregation in the region. Through a longitudinal quantitative analysis of student racial demographic data, we explore the potential impact of legal and policy interventions of racial isolation and desegregation. Our qualitative analysis contextualizes these demographic patterns within the region’s complex racial history, including NAACP lawsuits, interdistrict school choice policies, and state control. We find that the current state of affairs in Benton Harbor is part of a historical narrative of racial segregation, disinvestment, and disenfranchisement.

Authors

• Christine Thelen-Creps, University Council for Educational Administration

• Alounso Antonio Gilzene, Florida State University

• John T. Yun, Michigan State University

• Terah Talei Venzant Chambers, Michigan State University

• Brian Joseph Boggs, University of Michigan - Dearborn