How Middle School Segregation Contributes to the Race Gap in Academic Achievement

  • The study finds that segregation has a direct negative effect on math and reading scores.
  • With controls for family-level and student-level variables, attending racially isolated minority elementary schools depresses 8th grade math and reading scores for Black and White students.
  • A greater concentration of minority students in a middle school depresses reading scores, net of other school, family and individual-level factors.
  • Track placement affects academic achievement. The higher the track, the better students perform. Family background and race influence track placement.
  • Elementary school segregation directly and negatively affects track placement
  • Black students are rarely placed in higher tracks and are disproportionately represented in lower tracks, regardless of the racial composition of the school