From Desegregated Schools to Diverse Communities? Novel Evidence on an Old Debate

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Research on School Closures, Zoning Policies, and De/Segregation (Table 9)

Abstract

Since the Coleman report, research has linked school desegregation to student academic achievement and attainment. Less work has tracked students into adulthood, most focused on economic outcomes. Thus, we know little about how attending desegregated schools as students shaped adults’ decisions to live and work in diverse communities. Using data from High School and Beyond, we estimate the relationship between attending a desegregated school in 1980 to living and working in racially diverse communities in adulthood. We find that White and Hispanic students who attended desegregated schools lived and worked in more diverse contexts as adults. However, Black students who attended desegregated schools lived and worked in more racially-isolated contexts. We conclude with implications for theory and current policy debates.

Authors

• Cheyenne Phillips, Southern Methodist University

• Meredith Paige Richards, Southern Methodist University