A Minority Majority in Public Schools: What's New?

• In Event: 347 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Paper Session. Racial and Ethnic Minorities as the New Majority

Abstract

While demographers have forecast the end of a white majority in coming decades, for many urban school districts nationally, public schools have been a majority minority for some time. Examining these school districts and the experiences of those in them offers a number of cautionary tales for those anticipating that demographic change will lead in any automatic or clear way to structural change. Focusing on a few districts in particular, I will show how even in districts with large minority majorities, largely white power structures remain very much in charge.

Author

• Amanda Evelyn Lewis, University of Illinois-Chicago