Why is school integration important?

Racially, culturally and economically diverse schools are strongly associated with a range of short and long term benefits for all racial groups. This includes gains in math, science, reading and critical thinking skills and improvements in graduation rates.  Research also demonstrates that diverse schools are better equipped than high-poverty schools to counteract the negative effects of poverty. Over the long-term, students who attend diverse schools are more likely than students from homogeneous schools to choose diverse colleges, neighborhoods and workplaces later in life.

National Coalition on School Diversity Research Briefs

  • School Racial and Economic Composition & Math and Science Achievement (NCSD Research Brief #1)
  • How the Racial and Socioeconomic Composition of Schools and Classrooms Contributes to Literacy, Behavioral Climate, Instructional Organization and High School Graduation Rates (NCSD Research Brief #2)
  • The Impact of Racially Diverse Schools in a Democratic Society (NCSD Research Brief #3)
  • What we know about school integration, college attendance, and the reduction of poverty (NCSD Research Brief #4)
  • School Integration and K-12 Educational Outcomes: A Quick Synthesis of Social Science Evidence (NCSD Research Brief #5)

Other Resources

  • The Spivak Archive – a searchable database with approximately 400 entries that concern the effects of school and classroom ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic (SES) composition on specific outcomes.
  • Diversity Matters: Why We Should Create and Sustain Diversity in Schools (CHHIRJ Policy Brief)
  • The Childhood Opportunity Gap (CHHIRJ Policy Brief)