Cook, Thomas
Researchers: Thomas Cook
University Affiliation: Northwestern University
Email: t-cook@northwestern.edu
Research Question:
Several meta-analyses by a panel of social scientists who examined 19 studies about school desegregation's effects on the academic achievement of black children.
Published: 1
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: The National Institute of Education
Journal Entry: ED 241.671
Year: 1984
Findings:
- Desegregation did not cause any decrease in Black achievement.
- Desegregation did not cause an increase in achievement in math.
- Desegregation probably increased mean reading levels.
- The increase in reading scores is somewhere between .06 and .16 standard deviation units or about two and six weeks.
- Median gains were almost always greater than zero but were lower than the means and did not reliably differ from zero. The modal gains were even less than the median gain and varied around zero.
- Skewed distribution of schools therefore difference.
- Studies with largest reading gains can be tentatively explained by small sample sizes, study two or more years of desegregation, etc.
- Distributions are based on few observations therefore little confidence should be placed on results.