Academic Performance of Black High School Students Under Different Conditions of Contact with White Peers

  • Class racial composition had significant effects on Black students’ effort and grades. The larger the proportion of Whites, the greater the effort but the lower the grades of Blacks.
  • Being in classes with a substantial proportion of whites appeared to benefit only those Blacks whose white peers came from low-education families.
  • Class racial composition had independent effects on black students’ grades and effort.
  • Class racial composition did not have a significant effect on achievement scores or on Black students’ expectancies of being able to go to college.
  • The Black students’ own ability level and that of their White peers had no consistent joint effects on academic outcomes for Blacks.