The Evidence on Desegregation and Black Achievement

  • The very best studies available demonstrate no significant and consistent effects of desegregation on Black achievement.
  • There is virtually no effect whatsoever for math achievement, and for reading achievement the very best that can be said is that only a handful of grade levels from the 19 best available studies show substantial positive effects, while the large majority of grade levels show small and inconsistent effects that average out to about 0.
  • The average effects in reading is +.04 for one-year studies, +.37 for two-year studies, and-.16 for three-year studies. There is no evidence of any cumulative effect of desegregation.