Racial Isolation in the Public Schools - Summary of a Report by the US Commission on Civil Rights

     [||0acb36b9-559e-41c6-9368-4da75e4a1844||] | | RACAL : i 

SR LE 
| Public Schools 

  

Is 

A 
—
—
 

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
 

+ 

->
 

A)
 

v 
A #0
 

F
R
 

S
o
 

La
 

s 

ee 
—
—
 

E
E
 

dm
a 

a
s
 

A 

oo Swmmar, @ oe 
ly fiie US. Comtisdor 

ok Ga Refit 4 CCR Clearinghouse Publication No. z 

March 1 907 
Sy 

Te   ly 

3 
8 
* 

E 

 



  

“ng wy 

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

John A. Hannah, Chairman 

+ Eugene Patterson, Vice Chairman’. 

Frankie M. Freeman + 

Erwin N. Griswold er ; 

Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. 

Robert 3 Rankin. Hi 

William L. Taylor, § Staff Director 

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is a temporary, independent, bi- 
;pactisan agency established by Congress. in 1957 and directed to: 

° Investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of 
their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, or r national 
origin, or by reason of fraudulent Practices, : 

~@ Study and collect utarmation concerning legal developments 
constituting a denial of equal prisction of the laws under the : 
Constitution; 

‘® Abrraise Federal laws and policies with yespect to equal protection 
of the laws; : : 

o Serve as a national lindas for information in fespect to 
~ denials of Syl protection of the laws; and : 

“@ Submit arorts. findings. and recommendations to the President Bo 
and the Congress. 
By 5 

4 
4 

  
. 

“. 

bd 

] 
¢ 

  
   



dent, bi- but 
d 

rived of 

national = 

opments ~~ 
der the if 

otection 

spect to : Ho 

resident er | 

  

  

Introduction 

In November 1965, President Johnson asked the U.S. Commission 
on Civil Rights to “turn its careful attention to the problems of race 
and education in all parts of the country . . . [and]. . . to develop a 
firm foundation of facts on which local and State Governments can 
build a school system that is color-blind."”’ 

In asking the Commission to “gather the facts” regarding racial 

isolation in the schools and ‘make them available to the Nation as rap- 
idly as possible,’’ President Johnson said: : 

Although we have made substantial progress in ending formal segre- 

gation of the schools, racial isolation in the schools persists—both in 

the North and the South—because of housing patterns, school district- 

ing, economic stratification and population movements. It has become 

apparent that such isolation presents serious barriers to quality educa- 

tion. The problems are more subtle and complex than those presented 

by segregation imposed by law. The remedies may be difficult. But as 

a first and vital step, the Nation needs to know the facts. : 

The Commission's study sought to: 

e Determine the extent of racial isolation in the public schools; : 

@ Identify the factors that cause and perpetuate the separation of ATR 
Negroes and whites in the schools; 

® Examine the impact of racial isolation upon the educational, 
economic, and social achievement of Negroes and determine the 
effects of such isolation upon whites and Negroes; ba tT 

o Assess the effectiveness of programs designed to eliminate 
racial isolation in the schools and remedy existing educational © 
disparities. a CIR 

The Commission's report drew upon existing knowledge, extensive 
" staff investigations, public hearings, and new research performed by 
contractors and consultants. In the hearings and special conferences, 
"the Commission heard the views of school administrators, teachers, . 

parents, and school children. The Commission also had the advice °° 
and assistance of an Advisory Committee of educators, economists, 
social scientists, and lawyers. 

Four major findings of fact emerge from the report: 

@ Racial isolation in the public schools, whatever its origin, in- 
flicts harm upon Negro students. Ha 

© Racial isolation in the public schools is intense and is grow-  - 
ing worse. : ; 

@ Compensatory efforts to improve education for children within 
racially and socially isolated schools have not been mark- 
edly successful... 

- @ School desegregation remedies have been devised which will 
improve the quality of education for all children. 

 



        
  

EXTENT AND GROWTH OF RACIAL ISOLATION 

The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that governmentally enforced school 

segregation violated the 14th amendment and that separate educational 

facilities were inherently unequal. : 

The immediate impact of the Court's ruling was upon the Southern and 

border States that had compelled segregation in the public schools. The 

decision also heightened concern about the extent of school segregation 

. throughout the Nation. 

Now, 13 years after the Supreme Court's decision, the majority of Ameri- : 

can children continue to attend schools that are largely segregated. The 

U.S. Office of Education in its national survey, Equality of Educational Op- : - 
portunity, found that when judged by the standard of segregation “. . .~ .".: 

American public education remains largely unequal. . 

To define the extent of racial isolation in the public schools, the Commis- ; 

sion collected data on the racial composition of schools in more than 100 

city school systems throughout the Nation, The data revealed that racial 
isolation in the public schools is extensive and has increased since 1954. 

School segregation is most severe in the Nation's metropolitan areas where 

two-thirds of the country's Negro and white populations now live. 

There are 1.6 million Negro children and 2.4 million white children en- Tea 

rolled in elementary schools in 75 representative cities studied by the Com- 

mission. Of the Negro children, 1.2 million (75 percent) attend schools 

where the student bodies are more than 90 percent Negro. Of the white 

children, 2 million (83 percent) are enrolled in schools where the student 

* populations are more than 90 percent white. Nearly 9 of every 10 Negro SAE 

~ children in these 75 cities attend elementary schools where the student 

bodies range from 50.5 to 100 percent Negro. The extent of student segre- : 

gation was not necessarily dependent upon the size of the school system, 

the proportion of Negroes enrolled, or whether the cities were in the North 

7 orthe South, = 7 | ae 
" The growth of segregation has been rapid. A survey of 15 Northern 
school systems revealed that the Negro enrollment has increased by 

154,000 pupils since 1950, and that 130,000 of these Negro pupils attend- 

ed schools where the student bodies were more than 90 percent Negro. 

In Southern and border cities the proportion of Negroes attending all- Lh 

Negro elementary schools has decreased, yet the number of children at- : 

~ tending raciglly isolated schools has increased. 

CAUSES OF RACIAL ISOLATION 

The population increase in the Nation's metropolitan areas—40 million 
persons between 1940 and 1960—has been accompanied by an increase a 

in the separation of the races. By 1960, four of every five Negro school- 

age children in metropolitan areas lived in the central cities while nearly 

three of every five white children lived in the suburbs. As a result, a sub- id 

. - stantial number of major cities have elementary school enolimenis hat are 

‘more than half Negro, Sing 

F
O
R
 

or 
F
E
N
G
 

r
e
y
 

L
p
 

po
v 
p
i
l
i
n
 

ob 
n
o
p
e
 

RT
 
v
e
 

  
EL

T 

i
 

a
c
a
 

A 
—
—
 

  
 



    

: up 

services. Cities which formerly surpassed suburbs in educational expendi-". i: 

"tures are losing fiscal capacity. Suburban ‘communities surrounding many 

~ central cities are spending more per pupil than the core cities. This widen- Vo 

ing gap between educational services in the suburbs and cities helps induce oa fe 

middle-class white families to settle in the suburbs. - or a ¥ 

Racial isolation in city schools is caused by many factors. Isolation is 

rooted in racial discrimination that has been sanctioned and even encour- 

aged by government at all levels. It is perpetuated by the effects of past 

segregation; reinforced by demographic, fiscal, and educational changes 

taking place in urban areas; and it is compounded by the policies and 

praciices of urban school systems. 

The racial contrasts between city and suburb are sardieled by contrasts 

in economic and social status. Suburban school districts are acquiring in- 

creasing numbers of children from well-educated and relatively affluent 

families. Almost all of them are white. Children—many of them Negro— 

from families of relatively low income and educaiiona] attainment are left 

behind in the city.. ; ‘5 

Housing 

The discriminatory practices of the housing industry have been key fac- 

tors in confining the poor and nonwhite to the cities. The practices and 
policies of government at all levels have contributed to the separation of 
racial and economic groups in cities and suburbs. For years, the Federal 

Government's housing policy was openly discriminatory and largely attuned 

to the suburban housing needs of relatively affluent, white Americans. Even 

now, Federal housing policy is inadeuate | to reverse the rend toward racial ck ar 

isolation in metropolitan areas. 

The authority of local governments to decide on building Peis, inspec 

tion standards, and the location of sewer and water facilities has been used ~:~ 
in some instances to discourage private builders from providing housing on = 

a nondiscriminatory basis. The power of eminent domain and suburban ~*~ 
zoning and land-use requirements have been devices used to keep Negroes 

from settling in all-white communities. oh 
Racial zoning ordinances, although declared gata in 1917, Fh 

were enforced in some communities as late as the 1950s. Although racially ~~ 

restrictive covenants have not been judicially enforceable since 1948, they, . 

still are esd, and the housing patterns they helped create continue to exist. 

Fiscal Disparities ih
 

Increasing disparities in wealth have veiiorced the sepnralion between ::'  - 

city and suburban populations. Because education is supported primarily by 4 

local property taxes, the adequacy of educational services has depended ® : 
- upon the ability of individual communities to raise tax money for education. ; 

Cities are facing increasing financial burdens and demands for social 

State education aid often fails to equalize the Ey SB weon subur- nd ak : 

ban ond central city public gehobly) and recently enacted. Federal aid pro pT 

* LJ i : yn 

» oy br a a V7 Tr nT 
- - he a Weaityy oo cig nt 

fein . Face y "wy 
: . / . 

And EE a 

  
  

  

grams 

. Secon 

elimine 

Racic 

Bec 

childre 

Resi 

action: 

zoning 

nants 

housin 

have | 

petuat 

Priv 

increas 
cities | 

white. 

~ public 

Educ 

Alit 

in Sot 

tioned 

raciall 

in Ind 

thougl 

tained 

as lat 

‘and F 

gerryr 

Ge 

tenda! 

When 

tion, 1 

~day-tc 
mattel 

metho 

bounc 

tion. | 

racial 

| 

The 

"factor 

provic 

 



  

S
m
a
 

ce
ta
bu
ns
 
 
—
 

  

F
R
O
 
I
E
.
 

DOS
 

ARE
 

  

a
 

| public schools. 

grams also are often insufficient to reverse the trend. The Elementary and 

. Secondary Education Act of 1965 has helped close the gop but has not 

eliminated it. 

Racial Isolation in Central City Schools 

Because of the high degree of residential segregation, Negro and white 

children typically attend separate schools in the central cities. 

Residential segregation in the central cities has resulted in part from past 

actions of State and local governments such as the enactment of racial 

zoning ordinances and the judicial enforcement of racially restrictive cove- 

nants and from past and present practices of the housing industry. Federal 

housing programs aimed at meeting the needs of lower income families 

have been confined to central cities and typically have intensified and per- 

. petuated residential segregation. 

Private and parochial school enrollments are an additional fucior | in the 

increasing racial isolation in elty school systems. Far more children in the 
cities than in the suburbs attend private schools, and almost all of them are 

white. This situation intensifies the concentration of Negro children | in city 

Educational Policies and Practices 

Although school segregation was sanctioned by law and official policy 

in Southern cities until 1954, there is a legacy of governmentally sanc- 

tioned school segregation in the North as well. State statutes authorizing = 

racially separate public schools were on the books in New York until 1938, 

in Indiana until 1949, and in New Mexico and Wyoming until 1954, Al- 
though not sanctioned by law in other States, separate schools were main- 

tained for Negroes in some communities in New Jersey, lllinois, and Ohio, . 

as late as the 1940s and 1950s. In some cities such as New Rochelle, N.Y., 

‘and Hillsboro, Ohio, the courts found that school district lines have been 
gerrymandered for the purpose of racial segregation. 

Geographical zoning is the common method of determining schoo) at- 

tendance and the neighborhood school is the predominant attendance unit. 

When these are imposed upon the existing pattern of residential segrega- 
tion, racial isolation in the schools is the inevitable result. In addition, the 

‘day-to-day operating decisions and the policies of local school boards—in. ~~ 

matters involving the location of new school facilities, transfer policies, . =. 

methods of relieving overcrowded schools, and the determination of the 

boundary lines of attendance areas—often have reinforced racial separa- 

tion. In many instances there were alternatives that would have reduced we 
racial concentrations. 

RESULTS OF RACIALLY ISOLATED EDUCATION 

" The results of aducation for all stindaiits’ are influenced by a number of 

factors, including the students’ home backgrounds, the quality of education : 

provided in the schools they attend, and the social class background of if” 

er 

A
 

=
 

a
r
a
 

A
B
R
I
L
  



  

vi 

  

EL] 

* their classmates. For Negro students, the racial composition of the schools 

also is important. Racially isolated schools tend to lower Negro students’ 

achievement and restrict their aspirations. By contrast, Negro children who 

attend predominantly white schools more often score higher on achievement 
tests, and develop higher aspirations. 

The educational and economic circumstances of a child's family long’ 

have been recognized as factors which determine the benefits he derives 

from his education. Differences in childrens’ social and economic back- 

grounds are strongly related to their achievement in school. The elementary 

student from a disadvantaged home typically has a lower verbal achieve- 

ment level than that of a more advantaged student. 

The social class level of a student's classmates is another foctor that 

" determines the benefits he derives from education. From the early grades 

with a majority of disadvantaged students, 

: _ through high school, a student is directly influenced by his schoolmates. A °° 

_ disadvantaged student in school with a majority of more advantaged stu -  . 

dents performs at a higher level than a disadvantaged student in school 

This has a special significance for Negro students. Since there are fewer - 

~ . middle-class Negroes, any remedy for social class isolation would entail 
substantial racial desegregation. 

There also is a strong relationship between the attitudes and achievement =." 

of Negro students and the racial composition of the schools which they = 
attend. Relatively disadvantaged Negro students perform better when they . 

are in class with a majority of similarly disadvantaged white students than 

when they are in a class with a majority of equally disadvantaged Negroes. 

taged whites they achieve better than those in school with similarly advan- 

- taged Negroes. When disadvantaged Negro students are in class with more 

advantaged whites, their average performance i is improved by as much as’ 

two grade levels. :   

There are differences in the quality of advection available to Negro and * 

white students in the Nation's metropolitan areas. For example, schools TE 

i attended by white children often have more library volumes per student, i : 

advanced courses, and fewer pupils per teacher than schools attended by FE 

Negro children. 

Negro students are more likely than whites to have teachers with lower hd 

verbal achievement levels, to have substitute teachers, and to have teachers 

who are dissatisfied with their school assignment. Do these differences in - 

~* school qualities account for the apparent effect of racial isolation? o 

The quality of teaching has an important influence on students’ achieves 7 

"ment. Yet, Negro students in majority-white schools with poorer teachers = 

"generally - -achieve better than similar Negro students in majority-Negro 3 Ft 

schools’ with better teachers. 

Racially isolated schools ore regarded by the COmInity as inferior insti- 

- tutions. Teachers and students in racially isolated schools recognize the 
. ,. ¥ - . 

rm mE Tal my LAAN a mE ppm A Sy i ale arbors rived hie brie oy Baal Ta 

ow 

When more advantaged Negro students are in school with similarly advan- SE     
  

  

Th 

stude 

isola 

are i 

Th 

: part 

dese 

be e 

racia 

Re 

perp 
atten 

furth 

lated 

assig 

Al 
the 
datter 

instit 

natio 

 



  

    
  

: Compensatory Education 

The time spent in a given kind of classroom setting has an impact on 

student attitudes and achievement. The longer Negro students are in racially 

isolated schools, the greater the negative impact. The longer Negro students 

are in desegregated schools, the higher their performance. 
The cumulative effects of education extend to adult life and account in 

part for. differences in income and occupation. Negro adults who attended 

desegregated schools are more likely to be holding white collar jobs and to 

be earning more than otherwise similarly situated Negroes Who attended 

racially isolated schools. 

Racial isolation in the schools also fosters attitudes and behavior that 

perpetuate isolation in other areas of American life. Negro adults who 

attended racially isolated schools are more likely to develop attitudes that 

further alienate them from whites. Negro adults who attended racially iso- 

lated schools are more likely to have lower self-esteem and to accept the 

assignment of inferior status. 

Attendance by whites at racially isolated schools also fends to reinforce 
the very atiitudes that assign inferior status to Negroes. White adults who 
attended all-white schools are more apt than other whites to regard Negro 

institutions as inferior and to resist measures designed to overcome discrimi- 

nation against Negroes. = . 

REMEDY 
There is no general agreement among educators and concerned citizens 

-on the best way to remedy the academic disadvantage of Negro school- 

children. School systems generally have taken one of two basic approaches: 

the institution of compensatory education programs in majority-Negro 

“schools, or school desegregation. There has been controversy and djsagree: 

ment over both approaches. 

Compensatory education programs which seek to improve the quality of 

education for disadvantaged children are often predicated on the assump- 

tion that deficiencies in a child's background are the main deterrent to 

learning. Many educators believe that the environment of poverty, the lack 

of cultural stimulation in the home, and the lack of motivation to learn, 

account for a child's failure to achieve in school. 

There are four basic types of programs which have been designed to 

correct these deficiencies. Remedial instruction provides extra work in aca- 

demic skills; cultural enrichment programs provide children with experiences . 
‘normally beyond their reach, such as trips to museums; some programs seek 
to raise the expectations of teachers and students to overcome negative 

attitudes which impede learning; and preschool programs seek to provide 

training in verbal skills and cultural enrichment so that disadvantaged chil- 

dren may enter school more nearly able to compete with advantaged chil- 

dren. 
%



  

oi 

two-thirds of the elementary schools with compensatory programs were ma- 
jority-Negro. Allocations to city schools under Title | of the 1965 Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act, the largest single source of funds for com- .. 
pensatory education programs, tend to reinforce this pattern. 

The Commission reviewed some of the better known compensatory educa- 

tion programs in majority-Negro schools that have served as prototypes for 
many others. Without evaluating the intrinsic merits or effectiveness of com- 
pensatory education, the Commission weighed only the measurable results 
of such programs upon the academic performance of Negro children. Some 
major programs, particularly the preschool programs, could not be evaluat- 
ed because they have been instituted too recently. 

Compensatory education programs such as Higher Horizons in New York 
City, and others, sometimes showed initial improvement in the test scores . 
during the first years. But the gains were not sustained, and when children 

in the programs were compared with similarly disadvantaged children who 
had ‘received no compensatory education, the two groups showed no 
significant or consistent difference in academic achievement. 

The performance of Negro students who participated in compensatory 

education programs in majority-Negro schools was compared with that of - 

- similarly situated Negro students attending majority-white schools not offer- 

ing such programs. Programs were compared in Syracuse, N.Y., Berkeley, - -. ~~ 

Calif, Seattle, Wash., and Philadelphia, Pa. The results of test scores. = 
showed that the Negro children attending majority-white schools made bet- * 

ter progress than those who attended majority-Negro schools with the com- 

pensatory programs. 5 

© The Commission's analysis does not suggest that compensatory education Lo 

is incapable of remedying the effects of poverty on the academic achieve- 

ment of individual children. There is little question that school programs 

involving expenditures for cultural enrichment, better teaching, and other... 
needed educational services can be helpful to disadvantaged children. 

However, the compensatory programs reviewed by the Commission ap- 

peared to suffer from the defect inherent in attempting to solve problems 

stemming in part from racial and social class isolation in schools which de 
themselves were isolated by race and social class. 

School Deiibregation 

In reviewing efforts to remedy educational disadvantage through de- a 

segregation, the Commission found that the effectiveness of any school de- 3 
segregation technique depends in part upon (1) the Negro proportion of the = 

school population, and (2) the size of the city. The greater the Negro pro- =“: ° 

portion of the school population, the more extensive will be the changes a 

necessary to accomplish desegregation. Cities with relatively small areas of 
high-density Negro populations may find it easier to desegregate by such =... | 

devices as strategic site selection, redistyicling, or the enlargement of at- ~~ 
tendance areas. 

Using a variety of techniques, “with the ‘common element being the Si 

largement of attendance zones, a ) Pumber of snl communities have de- ~ 

segregated their schools, Farin 

  
a
 

  

Sy 
comj 

" whic 

the s 

Th 

Engl: 

tain 

the : 

entir 

tend 

assic 

Ev 

tion 

segr 

initic 

won 

citie 
scho 

 



 ma- 

ntary 

com- .. 

juca- 

s for 

com- 

osults 

Some 

luat- 

York 

cores... 

dren 

who 

1 no 

atory 
at of - 
ffer- 

eley, 
ores -. 
bet- 

com- 

ation 
ieve-- 

rams 

other + = 

iren. 

ap- 

thich = = = 

de- 

1s of 

such... 
f at- J 

en 
de- 

  

de iui les 
f the = 7 
pro- - 
nges 

  

oh
 

m
a
t
i
o
n
s
 

mi
te

 
co

mm
en

 
i
 

ee
 
t
e
t
,
 

0.
 
H
l
 
e
m
t
 

ms 
WY 

2 

Systems in Princeton, N.J., Greenburgh, N.Y., and Coatesville, Pa. have 

completely desegregated their elementary schools by pairing, a device 

* which involves merging the attendance areas of two or more schools serving 

the same grades. Once paired, each school serves different grade levels. 

The central school technique has been employed by the school systems in 

Englewood, N.J., Teaneck, N.J., and Berkeley, Calif. Under this plan, cer- 

tain schools are used to serve all children of a single grade in the city and 

the school's student body becomes representative of the population of the 

entire city. Other cities have desegregated their schools by enlarging at- 

tendance zones through the closing of a racially imbalanced school and 

assigning its students to other school districts. 

Even though much remains to be done to Gnpleiely abolish racial isola- 

tion in some of these smaller cities, educators there reported that the de- 

segregation plans generally have been successful. In cases where there was 

initial opposition, the desegregation plans in most instances appear to have ~~ 

won acceptance by parents and civic groups. No evidence was found in the 
cities studied that white parents had withdrawn their children from the 
schools in any significant numbers. 

Open enrollment plans sometimes have been used in an effort to relieve 
racial imbalance. Experience in some cities has shown, however, that while 

some Negro families take advantage of such a plan, others do not. Also, 

open enrollment often does not result in significant desegregation because 

it often is limited by the number of seats available in underutilized white 

schools. Racial isolation fosters negative attitudes toward desegregation for . : a 
Negroes as well as whites. Also, some Negro parents do not participate in. 

open enrollment because they are reluctant to have their children assume - 

the role of pioneers and also because they may resent being asked to 
“assume the entire burden of school desegregation themselves. Open enroll- * . =. 

“ment places the responsibility for desegregation on individual parents rather =, 

than on the coordinated efforts of school officials. Also, it does not improve ee] 

.racial balance at majority-Negro schools. 

The strategic use of site sclection as a device to relieve racial mbalins : 

also has limitations. The construction of a school on the periphery of a 
Negro ghetto, for example, may not guarantee stable desegregation be- Loot z 

cause it is these very areas which experience rapid racial turnover. 

The Nation's larger cities have not beeii as successful in desegregating + 

their schools. The obstacles to desegregation are greater, and some educa- 

tors have pointed out that workable solutions can best be achieved on a . 
metropolitan basis. Programs which place Negro youngsters from majority- 

‘Negro city schools in neighboring suburban schools have potential for re- 
lieving racial imbalance in the central city schools. Even though they pres- “- 

ently involve only small numbers of Negro children, such programs are - 

+. operating successfully in Rochester, N.Y., Boston, Mass., and Hartford, 

“an CORN, - i : 

Fociors in Suet] School Desegregation 
~~ The Commission found that when local and State school officials ore 30s 

“vigorous leadership, desegregation was more successful. In addition, school 

ns
 
y
r
 
g
p
 

 



  

ry . 

officials reported that the maintenance and improvement of educational 

standards and the provision of remedial assistance were critical factors in 

effective school desegregation. School authorities also found that it was 

often important to take steps to avoid or reduce racial tensions in schools. 

White parents often fear that their children will suffer educational harm 

as a result of desegregation. But the Commission found that the perform- . 

ance of white students in desegregated classes was no different from the 

performance of similar white students in all-white classes. Indeed, many 

school administrators in communities such as White Plains, N.Y., Teaneck, 

N.J., and Berkeley, Calif., reported that desegregation was desirable for. 

Wath white and Negro students. 

Plans and Proposals for School Fen 
Desegregation and Quality Education 

The Commission examined many promising plans for desegregating 

schools and improving the quality of education in the Nation's larger cities 
and metropolitan areas, The plans contemplate giving more attention to the 

individual needs of all students in schools which would serve broad seg- 

ments of the community. All of the proposals incorporate the view that only i 

a combination of school desegregation and improved educational quality 

can provide equality of educational opportunity in urban areas. The propos- oa Tin 
als studied by the Commission were based upon the view that the schools 5 

‘can be desegregated and the quality of education improved best if attend- .-/*- =~ 
ance zones are expanded and school resources are consolidated. 

Proposals for supplementary centers or magnet schools would establish’ : 

specialized educational programs either in existing schools or in new facili- 

ties. Such special schools would serve children from broad attendance 
areas. The students still would attend their neighborhood schools but would 

spend part of their time at the special schools. Plans of this type are being 

developed in Mt. Vernon, N. Yo Cleveland, Ohio, Philadelphle, Pa., -and Los +: 
-*. Angeles, Calif. : : 2 fe 

The education complex uvelver the grouping of existing schools, and RR 
~ consolidating their attendance zones, to serve a heterogeneous student pop- wf 

ulation. Schools in the group would be close enough together to allow the = 

sharing of more specialized personnel and facilities than is now possible... = 

_ This type of plan has been developed for New York City. : 

~~ The education park is similar to the education complex. An education ; : 5 

park, however, would be a new facility, consolidating ‘a range of grade  * *'* 

levels on a single campus site. One education park plan, appropriate for - a 

smaller cities, would assemble on one campus all school facilities for all hy 

students-in the city. Another, appropriate for larger cities, would assemble = xe 
~. on a single campus—all-school facilities for a particular level, such as all: ~ 

“middle schools or all secondary schools. Other plans for larger cities con- Lk re 

template several parks of comparable size, each serving a segment of the 

- city or metropolitan area. Cities which are developing plans for education "7 i 

+ parks include Syracuse, N.Y., East Orange, N.J., Berkeley, Calif, New York, ky haan 
a N.Y., Fishin, | Pa. I Bibigusiue | N.M., ‘and 5, Paul, Minn. : ra 

5 al PE . 

  
SC
RA
PE
 
S
A
C
I
 

   



tional 

ors in 

S. 

harm 

form- 

m the 

many 

neck, 

le for 

jating 

cities 
to the 

| seg- 
t only 

uality 

OpOs- - | 

-hools =. 

end- vc 

ablish "ons Te 
facili- 

dance 

would : 7: 
being : i. 
d los © = 

y and gh 

 pop- 
w the © 
ssible... 

cation 

grade “7 

te for <i 

or all 
emble ~~: 

as all. 
3 con- ia 

of the 1 
cation 0 El 
York, ii 

‘t 

  

t was 

  

  

A
E
 

3 
. 

i 

t
e
 

or
 

+
 

et
h.
 
g
e
 

4 
m
g
r
 

IN
N 

mg 
e
m
 

AA
 

A 
a
 

ne
 

Proposals to build such large schools have understandably raised ques- 

tions about the impact of size upon educational quality. 

Many educators say, however, that education parks will enable teachers 

to devote more time to the individual needs of children. They suggest, for 

example, there will be numerous possibilities for individualized instruction 

through nongraded classes and team teaching. The larger teaching staffs 

of education parks will provide more specialists and teachers with more 

diverse training and skills to meet the particular needs of a greater number 

of children. Education parks also will permit technological innovations such 

as computer aids which are not economical in smaller schools. Educators" 

who have examined the quality of education as it concerns education parks 

agree that the parks may make possible new approaches to teaching and 

learning, thereby resulting in new, superior educational programs and 

methods of instruction that are not available now. 

Far from imposing uniformity, properly planned education parks will af- 

ford special opportunities for teachers because there will be greater op- 

portunities for interaction among teachers now isolated In small schools with 

colleagues with the same skills. Bringing together teachers with similar 

training might allow them more freedom in developing specialized subject 

matter skills. The education park also could provide a laboratory for student 

teachers where they would have the opportunity to observe a greater va- 

riety of teaching styles and ties with universities would facilitate inservice 

training for professional teachers. 

A major capital investment obviously would be necessary for the construc- 

tion of large new schools. Estimates vary, but a review of existing proposals. 

suggests that the capital costs would range from an amount roughly equal 

to the cost of regular classrooms to about twice that amount. 

The transportation of students to education parks and other new facilities 

is another matter of concern to educators and others. Yet it should be noted 

that more than 40 percent of the Nation's public school children ride buses 

to school. It is estimated that 15 to 30 percent of the public school enroll- 

ment in the Nation’ s largess cities already rides public transportation to 

. school. 

Thus, although many would argue that a wrong which we as a ‘Nation 

have inflicted upon Negro children must be righted even if it required real 

sacrifice, it is not necessary to face this dilemma. The goals of providing 

"equal educational opportunity for Negro Americans and quality education 

for all children are consistent and the measures which will produce both in 

many respects are identical. The only sacrifice required is that of our re-: ak 

sources and energies in securing these goals. 

ROLE OF THE LAW 
v 

The courts have indicated that purposeful school segregation is unconsti- 

tutional even where it is less than complete and even when it is accom- 

plished by inaction rather than by action. The Supreme Court has not ruled 

on the issue of whether school segregation not resulting from purposeful 

discrimination by school authorities is unconstitutional. The lower Federal Af 

n
p
 

A
 
y
y
 —
— 

c
y
 

 



  

  
  

T
R
I
E
R
 

Su
 —
 

A 
A 

te
 
S
e
 

t
g
 
<
A
 

: “ J 

45 equal terms,’ 

courts and the State courts are divided on the issue. The courts, however, 
have upheld State and local remedial measures against the contention of 
white parents that it is unconstitutional to take race into account in assign- : 
ing students to schools. 

Thus, the result of most judicial decisions to date has been to leave the 

question of remedying racial imbalance to the legislative and executive 

branches of the .Federal and State Governments. Only a small number of 

States—Massachuselts, New York, New Jersey, and California—have taken 

steps to require school authorities to take corrective action. 

Federal action therefore is necessary. Since appropriate remedies may 

require expenditures of substantial sums of money, particularly where school * 

construction may be involved, Congress, with its power to appropriate funds 
and to provide Federal financil assistance, is far better equipped than the hig. 

courts to provide effective relief. 

There is no clear Federal statutory authority dictating the imposition of Ty i E 
sanctions if the States or local school authorities fail to toke corrective 
action. The Constitution, however, confers upon Congress the power to re- 
quire the elimination of racial isolation in the public schools. 

Section 1 of the 14th amendment prohibits any State from daira to SE i 
any person within its juridisdiction equal protection of the laws. Section 5... ..° 
gives Congress the power to enforce the amendment by “appropriate legis-:. A es 
lation.’ Recent Supreme Court decisions make it clear that section 5 is an HEE Bn 
affirmative grant which authorizes Congress to determine what legislation is ==. 

~ needed to further the aims of the amendment. The decisions also establish = = 
that Congress may legislate not only to correct denials of equal protection 

~ but also to forestall conditions which may pose a danger of such denial. : 

Whether or not racial isolation itself constitutes a denial of equal protec- 
tion, Congress may secure equal educational opportunity by eliminating the - Wr 

conditions which render the education -eceived by most Negroes inferior to == /./" 
- that afforded most white children. Such conditions involve, in part, the 

harmful effects upon attitudes and achievement which racial and social class PR 
isolation have on Negro students. Corrective congressional action’ also may: -% 
be seen as a means of enabling Negroes, who generally are poorer than. ; 
whites, attend schools of lower quality and exercise less influence on school 7" +: 
boards, to obtain educational facilities equal to those obtained by white °° 
persons. 

There are ample rounds. moreover, for congressional determination that +. 
racial imbalance contravenes the equal protection clause. ‘State action” to = 

which the 14th amendment speaks, is clearly involved since public officials. .. : RE 
select school sites, define attendance areas, and assign Negroes to schools: i" 
in which they are racially isolated. The resulting harm to Negro Children 

involves a denial of equal protection of the laws. * 

Although the holding in Brown v. Board of Education was confined 10 sini 
school segregation compelled or expressly permitted by law, the rationale - : A 

of the Brown opinion was that “public education . . . where the State has i 
* undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on Es 

and that segregated education is unequal education. Justas™- ~~ io 
Segregation imposed by, law was held: in Brown . Soqrd of Education to Ht Thi : 

A. . - 

10 

Y
s
 

G
e
n
 

      

create 

tion a 

is acc 

Col 

the jo 

reorge 

school 

of the 

school 

tional 

pointi 

distrib 

anoth: 

equal 

In | 

itself 
quire 
State 

acts o 

The 

laws n 

: ty of ¢ 

The 

Comm 
"* when 

gated, 

Ne 

as we 

restric 

. dence 

they 

and nm 

. drawn 

gation 

unlikel 

The 

+ childre 

gation 

~ vation 

are st 

Their 

belief 

Isol 

" meanil 

 



    

create feelings of inferiority among Negro students affecting their motiva- 

tion and ability to learn, so there is evidence that adventitious segregation 

. is accompanied by a stigma which has comparable effects. 

Congress may require the States to provide solutions which will involve 
the joint education of suburban and central city children—either through 

reorganization of school districts or cooperative arrangements among 

school districts—where racial isolation cannot be corrected within the limits 

of the central city. The equal protection clause speaks to the State, and 

school districts are creatures of the State. A State cannot avoid its constitus 

tional obligation to afford its school children equal protection of the laws by. 

pointing to the distribution of power between itself and its subdivisions—a 

distribution which the State itself has created. As a court once said in 

another contest: "If the rule were otherwise, the great guarantee of the 

equal protection clause would be meaningless." : 

In legislating to implement the 14th amendment, Congress need not limit 
itself te suspending offensive State legislation but, like the eourts, may re- 
quire States to take offirmative steps to secure equal rights. Inconsistent 

State statutes or constitutional provisions, of course, must yield to the lawl) 

acts of Congress under the supremacy clause of the Constitution. 

There is ample basis to conclude, therefore, that Congress can enact the 

laws necessary to eliminate racial isolation and to secure to Negroes squali- Foap? Lr : 

ty of Oppo in the Buble schools. : 

CONCLUSION 

The central truth which emerges from this veport and from all of the 
~ Commission's investigations is simply this: Negro children suffer serious harm 

* when their education takes place in public schools which are racially segre- ee] 

gated, whatever the source of such segregation may be. 

Negro children who attend predominantly Negro schools do not achieve 

“as well as other children, Negro and white. Their aspirations are more . hi 

restricted than those of other children and they do not have as much confi- * 
. dence that they can influence their own futures. When they become adults, .-. 

they are less likely to participate in the mainstream of American society, 

end more likely to fear, dislike, and avoid white Americans. The conclusion . XN 

- drawn by the U.S. Supreme Court about the impact upon children of segre- 

gation compelled by law—that it "affects their hearts and minds in ways. 

unlikely ever to be undone" —applies to segregation not compelled by law. 

The major source of the harm which racial isolation inflicts upon Negro 

children is not difficult to discover. It lies in the attitudes which such segre- 
gation generates in children and the effect these attitudes have upon moti- ° 

~ vation to learn and achievement. Negro children believe that their schools 

are stigmatized and regarded as inferior by the community as a whole. = 

Their belief is shared by their parents and by their teachers. And their . 

belief is founded in fact. : 

Isolation of Negroes i in the schools has a significance different from the 

~ meaning that religious or ethnic separation may have had for other minority



  

vi 

  

—
—
—
 

groups because the history of Negroes in the United States has been 

different from the history of all other minority . groups. Negroes in this 

country were first enslaved, later segregated by law, and now are segregat- 

ed and discriminated against by a combination of governmental and pri- 
vate action. They do not reside today in ghettos as the result of an exercise 

of free choice and the attendcnce of their children in racially isolated °° 

schools is not an accident of fate wholly unconnected with deliberate segre- 

gation and other forms of discrimination. In the light of this history, the 

feelings of stigma generated in Negro children by attendance at racially 

isolated schools are realistic and cannot easily be overcome. 

Barriers To Understanding 

Many Americans have sensed the grave injustice that racial isolation © ° 

inflicts upon Negro children. But the need for a remedy sufficient to meet - 

the injustice perceived has been obscured by the existence of other factors 

that contribute to educational disadvantage, 

Thus, it is said with truth that Negro children often are handicapped in 
school because they come from poor and ill-educated families. But the con- 

clusion drawn by a few pessimistic educators that the school cannot be err. 

expected to deal with these deficits does injustice both to the children - “ : 

involved and to American education. For the very purpose of American 

public education from Jefferson's time to the present has been to help ..@ 

“ youngsters surmount the barriers of poverty and limited backgrounds to i. 

enable them to develop their talents and to participate fully in society. The =.= FEL) 
tributes accorded to public education stem largely from the fact that it has = ©. - 
served this role so successfully for so many Americans—Negroes as well as 

whites. This record affords ample grounds for hope that education can meet 

today’s challenge of: preparing Negro children to participate in American Tod i nL 

society. Counsels of despair will be in order only if, after having done i“ 'f~ 

everything to create the conditions for success, we have failed. 

It also is said with truth that disadvantaged Negro vouhasidrs are in need Ho 

- of special attention, smaller classes, a. better quality of instruction, and’ - 

teachers better prepared to understand and set high standards for them. =: 

' But. the suggestion that this is all that is needed finds little support in our : 

experience to date with efforts to provide compensatory education. The =: 

. weakest link in these efforts appears to be those programs which attempt to i" 
instill in a child feelings of personal worth and dignity in an environment in 

which he is surrounded by visible evidence which seems to deny his value as - 

a person, This does not appear to be a problem which will yield easily to 

additional infusions of money, More funds clearly are required and lavest. 

wees or poapams Char wil ‘morave saching and carn mors cttention lo 
Boa “ord gill wpm mB gE pmtig ge Bag fo bad yg AT Ham af unig 2 Aian The 

“H 

  

  

p
p
—
—
—
—
y
 

. 

  

  

good 

oppo 

educ 

assoc 

class: 

towai 

numb 

will k 

integ 

out r 

child: 

Thi 

not b 

of th 

; 4 : with i 

Mc 

prob 

tions 

Ch 
distal 

ity fr 

clude 

have 

really 

elimi 

existi 

an a 

sec 

tered 
legis 
dope 

+ 

 



      

  

-
 

w
p
m
 

ar
 

- 

good education for disadvantaged youngsters lies in affording them the 

opportunity to attend school with children who, by reason of their parents’ 

education and income, have a genuine headstart. Children benefit from - 

association in schools with others more advantaged than they and from a 

classroom environment which permits the establishment of high standards - 

toward which they must strive. But, as a practical matter, the relatively small 

number of middle-class Negro children in the public schools means that it 

- will be possible to provide social class integration only by providing racial 

integration. And even if social class integration could be accomplished with-. 

out racial integration, the remedy would be partial and inadequate, for 

children would still be attending schools stigmatized because of race. 

Thus, the complexity of the problem of educational disadvantage should 

not be allowed to obscure the central fact—that racial isolation is the heart 

~ of the matter and that enduring solutions will not be possible until we deal 
35, Wilh 1, SE 

Barriers To Remedy 
More fundamental perhaps than the difficulties of understanding the 

problem of racial isolation is the belief held by many Americans that solu- 

tions will require both change and sacrifice. 

‘Change certainly will be required. As our cities have grown, increasing A fe 

distances—physical and psychological—have separated the affluent major- 

ity from disadvantaged minorities. We have followed practices which ex- 

clude racial and economic minorities from large areas of the city and we 

have created structures, such as our method of financing education, which, 

by providing more attractive facilities with less tax effort, tend to attract the = 

affluent to the very areas from which minorities are excluded. And the fact : 
- of racial and economical separation. itself has generated attitudes. which 

"make integration increasingly difficult. The lines of separation are now well 

established, self-perpetuating, and very difficult to reverse. ‘ 

Because of the difficulties of effecting change, it has been tempting to ji 
- -think in terms of remedies which will require a minimum of effort on the part 

of the schools and least disrupt the educational status quo. So it has been 

suggested that the problem of securing equal educational opportunity is 

really a problem of housing, and that if discrimination in housing can be 
eliminated it will be possible to desegregate the schools without changing 
existing school patterns. But such a solution would require vast changes in 

an area where resistance to change is most entrenched. Laws designed to 

secure an open market in housing are needed pow, but the altitudes fos 
tered in segregated schools and neighborhoods make it unlikely that such 
legislation will be fully effective for years. To make integrated educabon 
depeanitpal "Cale BE a ale | NE ving Ie 8A vn CRE LA Yom wes vhs x “a Sian a 

+ i 

|



    

» it is in this period that the educational process has its greatest impact, 

positive or negative. Remedies that are not instituted until children reach 

high school are those least likely to be successful. 

Thus, it appears that meaningful remedy will require an alteration of the ° 

status quo; but in a changing world, change is hardly to be resisted for its 

own sake, particularly when it is designed to create a more just society. A 

Gd "more substantial question for many white American parents is whether what 

is required to right a wrong this Nation has inflicted upon Negro children 

will impair the interests of their children. 

It is relevant to begin such an inquiry by asking whether the racially i 

isolated education most white children receive now causes them any injury. 

There is evidence in this report which suggests that children educated in 

all-white institutions are more likely than others to develop racial fears and : ; 

~ prejudices based upon lack of contact and information. Although it cannot = ° 5h 
. be documented in traditional ways, we believe that white children are de-  ' 

prived of something of value when they grow up in isolation from children 

of other races, when their self-esteem and assurance may rest in part upon =" 
false notions of racial superiority, when they are not prepared by their 
school experience to participate fully in a world rich in human diversity. 

"These losses, although not as tangible as those which racial isolation inflicts 

upon Negro youngsters, are real enough to deserve the attention of parents = 

Wy concerned about their children’s developments. vd re 

: Unfortunately, they do not seem as real to many parents as the feared aki 
. consequences of integration. The fears most frequently articulated are that 7 

integration will destroy the concept of neighborhood schools and will re- 

quire busing of children over long distances. The values of neighborhood 
and proximity, of course, are relative. In today's world, all of us, adults and 

children, are residents of many neighborhoods and communities, large and ne 
small. We do not hesitate to bus our children long distances in rural areas, =.‘ 
or, in cities, to private schools or to other schools offering special advan-- 
tages. Thus, the issue is not whether small neighborhood schools are good 

‘or busing bad, per se, but whether the interests of our chiildren will be oa 
served or. impaired by particular proposals or solutions. Will our children be -/7" © 
held back by being placed in classes with children of other, less advan- 

taged backgrounds? Will the education provided at the end of a trip be as 

.. good as, or better than, the education our children presently receive? 5 

~~ Most often these issues have been debated in the context of the inner- = 

city, in_ circumstances which have made it easy for fears to be magnified 

and exaggerated. The image conjured up in the minds of many parents has La rt 

been one in which their children are cross-bused to ghetto schools and . 

taught in classrooms populated by large numbers of disadvantaged children 

: and lacking in essential services. Moreover, ethnic and class tensions have “= 
been aroused by proposals for partial solutions which appear to place more a 

responsibilities upon less affluent whites than upon those who are better off. 

The fundamental answer to these fears is that solutions sought must be *. ye 

? : those that will not only remedy injustice, but improve the quality of educa- -* : Ce 0 
tion, for all children. The Commission has been convinced, both by prietical ut mi % 

Ee idemonsiiations 4 and by sound proposals, that such oluions « are qvdilable, 

  

  

  
r
r
p
 

Fe
 
a
 

e
i
 

i 
a 

RAE 
R
A
B
I
 

. 
E 

ir
 

0
 

E
n
 

MN 
«3

 
: 

a
 

. 
n
e
 

3 
p 

MA
Y 

Fa
bs
 

fbn
 

Ml 
Ps
 

& 
.¥

 
t 

. 
SE 

Pd 
2 
N
R
 
A
 
ra

l 
S
T
A
Y
 

: 
S
l
 

p 
m
e
 

y 
¥ 

L
a
t
e
r
 
R
t
 

A 
2.
 

i
g
 

o
g
 

: 
Ce
 

= 
i
r
 

: 
‘ 

L 
$
0
.
 

y 
3 

r
r
 
s
e
e
r
s
 
S
a
 

—
—
—
—
 

<2 
v 

v 

  

WwW 
versi 

quiet 

ties | 

servi 

proa 

quali 

impr 

tions, 

most 

suffer 

resull 

In 

- tary 

same 

betw 

with 
that 

trips 

have 

descr 

Fe 

ence. 

comm 

small 

they 

Eq: 

_ popul 
impro 

the ne 

be pr 

: Furthe 

scope 

lum ¢ 

schoo 

At 

nique 

~. more 

for e> 

. dents 

back, 

ties. 1 

- the ut 

allow 

: dents. 

stage, 

to tec 
ment 

 



pact, 

reach 

of the : 
for its 

ty. A 

what - 

ildren 

cially Er 

njury. © 

ed in 

s and i 
annot ©". 

e de- |. 
ldren 

upon 
their 

2rsity. | Hat 

nflicts 

rents 

rared 70 

» that 7 
Nore. nol 

hood SE of 

s and 

rand ca 

reas, iii 
dvan-- 
good 7-0 

il be cai 

en be irl 

dvan- 

be as 

nner- = 

nified 
s has a : 3 ; : 

“and CET 
Idren 00 
have iota 

more or ot 

      

  

  

A
A
 

A
 
B
o
A
 

S
R
A
 

I,
 

2 
E
J
 

v
e
 

While public attention has been focused upon the more dramatic contro- 
versies, many small cities and suburban communities in the Nation have 
quietly integrated their schools. By a variety of techniques these communi- 
ties have achieved their goal by substituting community schools for those 
serving smaller neighborhoods. In most cases the issue has been ap- 
proached calmly and compassionately, with a view toward improving the - 
quality of education for all children. Steps have been taken to maintain and 
improve educational standards, to avoid the possibility of interracial fric- 
tions, and to provide remedial services for children who need them. And, in. 
most cases, the conclusion has been that advantaged children have not 
suffered from educational exposure to others not as well off, and that the 
results have been of benefit to all children, white and Negro alike. ° 

In larger cities, while efforts to achieve integration have been fragmen- =. * 
- tary and in many cases more recent, the results generally have been the 
same. The most recent efforts, admittedly embryonic, involving cooperation 
between suburban and city school districts in metropolitan areas have met 
with favorable reactions from thesa involved. Negro parents have reported 
that the values of beiter education have not been diminished by the bus 

trips necessary to obtain it. White parents have reported that their children =. 
have benefited from the experience. And administrators and teachers have 3 
described the cducational results as posiiive. 

Fears of the unknown, therefore, are being refuted by practical experi- E 
ence. Efforts to achieve integration by establishing schools serving a wider 
community clearly will be more difficult and costly in large cities than in 
smaller cities and suburban communities, but there is every indication that 

_ they will yield beneficial results. PREBLE 
Equally as important, the establishment of schools serving larger student 

populations is consistent ‘with what leading educators believe is necessary to 
improve the quality of education for all Americans. Education which meets... 
the needs of a technological society requires costly equipment which cannot - 

be provided economically in schools which serve small numbers of students. Fi 
. Further, educators have concluded that larger facilities will provide more EEE 

“scope for innovation and individual initiative in the development of curricu- 
lum and teaching techniques. Efforts to stimulate such’ initiative in small 
school units have been frustrated by lack of available resources. 

At the same time, educators have concluded that in larger facilities tech- 
niques would be available to teachers which would permit them to give 

~. more attention to the individual needs of children. It has been pointed out, - : 
- for example, that the present rigid system of classifying and teaching stu- =. 

. dents by grades, with the limited options of promoting or keeping a child 
back, does not permit the full development of each individual child's abili- - 
ties. The availability of more flexible classroom space would make possible : 

the utilization of nongraded classes and team teaching in ways which would % 
~ allow for greater attention to the individual needs and capabilities of stu-~ 
“dents, Although the development of computer technology is at a very early 
stage, there is evidence to suggest that it, too, may become a valuable aid 

“to teachers in ‘meeting the needs of individual children. Thus, the develop- ~ er 3 
~ ment of new schools serving larger populations would make possible the use. « * 

h
n
 

m
t
n
 

Sl 
e
p
 

2 
H
i
 

 



  

el 

  EE 

of techniques and instruments that would improve the quality of education 
for all students. They hold forth the promise that means can be devised to 

assure that the advancement of a child is not held back by the capabilities 

of any of his classmates—advantaged or disadvantaged. 

Thus, although many would argue that a wrong which we as a Nation 

have inflicted upon Negro children must be righted even if it required real 

sacrifice, it is not necessary to face this dilemma. The goals of providing 

equal educational opportunity for Negro Americans and quality of education 
for all children are consistent and the measures which will produce both in. 4 
many respects are identical. The only sacrifice required is that of our re- 
sources and energies in securing these goals. 

The Commission has approached the question of remedy with the belief." 
that it would be unwise, if not impossible, to prescribe uniform solutions for 

the Nation. We believe that there is an evil which must be corrected. We 
believe that the Federal Government has the authority, the responsibility, = -.:- 
and the means to assure that it is corrected, We have satisfied ourselves 
that remedies are available which will provide better education for all 

. American children and we believe that there are people in all sections of 

~-the Nation with enough wisdom and ingenuity to devise solutions appropri- 

ate to the particular needs of each area. The remaining question is whether 
this Nation retains the will to.secure equal justice and to build a better = "7." | 
society for all citizens. The Commission issues this report in the knowledge = iii: {" 

that this Nation has dedicated itself to great tasks afore, and with the =, 
faith Het itis prepared to do so again. vida 

RECOMMENDATIONS 
This report describes conditions that result in injustices to children and i. aes 3 

require immediate attention and action. The responsibility for corrective ac-' aa Sr 

tion rests with government at all levels and with citizens and organizations 
throughout the Nation. We must commit ourselves as a Nation to the estab- AE 

+, lishment of equal educational opportunity of high quality for all children. As i Sik 
©: an important means of fulfilling this national goal, the Commission SELEY 

recommends that the President and the Congress give immediate and : % 3 

urgent consideration to new legislation for the purpose of removing ©" 

~ present racial imbalances from our public schools, thus to eliminate 

the dire effects of racial isolation which this report describes, ‘and at 

5 long last, providing real equality of educational opportunity by inte- ; a : 

grating presently deprived American children of all races info. a a fotally : LO 

"improved public educational system. 34 Sra 
Without attempting to outline needed legislation i in great detail, our ‘ study ro 

of the problem convinces the Commission that new legislation must embody {as 

i the following essential principles: : : Sh 

1. Congress should establish a uniform standard providing for the |. Wi 

- elimination of racial isolation in the schools. : Ly 

~ Since large numbers of Negro children suffer harmful effects that are ¢ 
“attributable in part to the racial composition of schools they attend, legisla- ENE 

tion should provide for the elimination. of schools in which such harm gener-. 

  

R
r
 

p
—
—
—
—
 

> t
r
 
a
r
e
n
 
—
—
—
—
—
 

  

BEA
TE 

S
C
 

T
A
 

he
 
L
m
 

‘ 
T
e
g
 

ne 
ra

h 
rs

ra
— 

- 

  
  

ally c 

ly; so 

prodt 

schoc 

alterr 

and | 

whick 

with | 

will ¢ 

corre 

In 

criter| 

missic 

schoo 

enroll 

with | 

situat 
were 

that | 

ed by 

many 

Negre 

schoo 

Sin 

: “viate 

-highe 

woulc 

2, 

 meel 

mum 

vide 

“ reme 

It 

any si 

range 

. qualit 

solutic 

“At 

the Si 

, indivi 

plans 

for pr 

the bq 

the g 
“upon. 

=, sible 

 



cation 

sed to 

bilities 

Nation 

d real 

viding 

cation 

oth in 

ur re- 

belief 
ns for iii 
d. We 

ibility, ©..." 
selves 

or all 
ons of 

ropri- 

hether 

better gui 2 os 

ledge 
- ph TAS

 

th the ~~ 

ve ac Lino 
alions” 70 
estab- ©. 

in, As 0 

ission | inv 
e and © 
oving ih WL Cag 

inate 

nd at 

otally > od Sa 

study oo aha 
nbody Pris 

or the x iC 

it are: 
2gisla- 
jeners. 

  

A
 
—
—
—
—
—
—
 
a
 

t
k
 
w
p
e
 
b
a
 

—
—
-
 

  

bE
 

AC
 

ME
 

I
 

Re
 
L
E
 

0 
: 

PT
L 
L
I
A
N
 

  

ally occurs. No standard of general applicability will fit every case precise- 
ly; some schools with a large proportion of Negro students may not in fact 
produce harmful effects while others with a smaller proportion may be in’ 
schools in which students are disadvantaged because of their race. But the 
alternative to establishing such a standard is to require a time-consuming 
and ineffective effort to determine on a case-by-case basis the schools in 
which harm occurs. As it has in analogous situations, Congress should deal 
with this problem by establishing reasonable and practical standards which 
will correct the injustice without intruding unnecessarily into areas where no. 
corrective action is needed. 

In prescribing a reasonable standard, there is much to commend the - i 
criterion already adopted by the legislature in Massachusetts and the Com- ¥ 
missioner of Education of New York, defining as racially imbalanced, 
schools in which Negro pupils constitute more than 50 percent of the total 
enrollment. It was found in the report that when Negro students in schools 
with more than 50 percent Negro enrollment were compared with similarly . 
situated Negro students in schools with a majority-white enrollment, there 
were significant differences in attitude and performance. It is the schools 
that have a majority-Negro enrollment that tend to be regarded and treat-: 
ed by the community as segregated and inferior schools. Although there are 

~ many factors involved, the racial composition of schools that are majority- ETE 
Negro in enrollment tends to be less stable than that of fajoriy- White TE maina 
schools and to be subject to more rapid change. 

: Similar arguments might be advanced for a standard which would de-.  - hE 
- viate slightly from a 50 percent criterion, but a standard set significantly Cpa 
higher would not be adequate to deal with the Problem and probably: =~ 
would not result in lasting solutions. 

2. Congress should vest in each of the 50 States responsihifily for EAE 
meeting the standard it establishes and should allow the States maxi- "= = =. 
mum flexibility in devising appropriate remedies. It also should pro- 
vide financial and technical assistance to the States in planning such 

"remedies, : % : fis 
It would be unwise ior the Federal Government to attempt to prescribe feds Ens % i : 

_ any single solution or set of solutions for the entire Nation. There is a broad 7/5 £0 re 
range of techniques which are capable of achieving education of high A 

. quality in integrated public schools. Each State should be free to adopt . 
solutions best suited to the particular needs of its individual communities. 

_“"- At the same time it is clear that the responsibility should be placed upon; SATE 

the States rather than the individual school districts. The States, and not ~~. 
individual communities alone, have the capacity to develop and implement. |: 

plans adequate to the objective. The ‘States have assumed the responsibility 
for providing public education for all of their citizens and for establishing 
the basic conditions under which it is offered. Responsibility for achieving =~. == 

the goal of high-quality integrated education can and should be placed - ~~. iL 

“upon the States under terms which afford broad scope for local initiative.’ ei FE 

“But in many jurisdictions, particularly the major cities, solutions are not pos- 4% ur = 
: ySible without the <o0pbrajion, of neighboring communities, The States poss of 

   

  

  
   

A
R
E
A
L
 

I
R
R
 
CP

O 
W
 

D 
&



  i 
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
 

He
 
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
 

mp5 

* sess the authority and the means for securing cooperation, by consolidating 

or reorganizing school districts or by providing for appropriate joint ar- 

rangements between school districts. 

To help the States in devising appropriate remedies, the Federal Govern- 

ment should provide technical and financial assistance. 

3. The legislation should include programs of substantial financial 

assistance to provide for construction of new facilities and improve- 

ment in the quality of education in all schools. 

In many cases, particularly in the major cities, integrating the public 

schools will require the construction of new facilities designed both to serve 

a larger student population and to be accessible to all children in the area 

to be served. Substantial Federal assistance is needed to supplement the . 

resources of States and localities in building new schools of this kind and 

providing higher quality education for all children. Federal assistance also 

can be helpful in encouraging cooperative arrangements between States 

which provide education services to the same metropolitan area and be- 
tween separate school districts in a metropolitan area. In addition, Federal 
financial assistance now available under programs such as said for mass . 

transportation and community facilities should be utilized in ways which will SIE 
advance the goal of integration. 

Regardless of whether the achievement of integration requires new facili- 

ties, Federal financial assistance is needed for programs to improve the 

quality of education. States and localities should have broad discretion to .. 

develop programs best suited to their needs. Programs that are among the 

- most promising involve steps—such as the reduction of pupil-teacher ratios, = 

the establishment of ungraded classes and team teaching, and the introdue- =n 

tion of specialized remedial instruction—which enable teachers to give =.= 

more attention to the individual needs of children. Funds also could be used = =. ~~ 

for purposes such as assisting the training of teachers, developing new’ Tl Lj 
~ educational techniques, and improving curriculum. ra FYRERt 

4. Congress should provide for adequate time in “which to oo" 

plish the objectives of the legislation. 

It is clear that equal opportunity in education cannot be achieved over- I 7s 

night. Particularly in the large cities where problems of providing equal 

educational opportunity have seemed ‘so intractable, time will be necessary 

for such matters .as educational and physical planning, assembling and ac- 

quiring land, and building new facilities. However, since the problem is 

urgent a prompt start must be made toward finding solutions, progress must’ hE 

‘ be continuous and substantial, and there must be some assurance that the =. 

job will be completed as quickly as posible, The time has come to put Joss rt 

emphasis on “deliberate and more on Tipged. "oo 

a zr * 

= The goals of equal educational opportunity. and equal housing opportuni. ae 

ty are inseparable. Progress toward the achievement of one goal necessariz io 

“ly will facilitate achievement of the other. Failure to make progress toward. : 

the achievement of either goal will handicap efforts to achieve the other. 

  

- 
rd
 

io
 

  

A
 
—
_
 

,
 

8 
«Sn 

ap. 

  

suppl 

low- 

Ad 

supple 

amen 

specic 

statute 

In 

Housi 

7. 

mode 

the p 
ule to 

isolat 

8. 

that | 

will ¢ 
nating 

Suj 

The 
"truth 

tions— 

tics or 

deals 

crisis i 

ing in 

be fou 

unnec 

For 

hundre 

Negro 

slum 

And, c 
too lo 

: them \ 

of our 

which 

indivic 

nority 

Seg 
tions « 

“has _ he 

 



ver- 

qual 

sary oi 

| ac- 
m is 

must": a i 

t the. rl 
Joss nt 

rtuni- 

ssardy lh 

ward 

ther. 

  

  

  

r
e
 

v
e
 

g
n
 

+ 
in

 
hn

 
. 

. 

v 
[Y

 
s 

AA
 R
R
R
 

IA
N 

RI
I 

P
R
M
 

SRN 
CR

E 
SEE 

The Commission recommends, therefore, that the President and Con- 
gress give consideration to legislation which will; 

5. Prohibit discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, and 

6. Expand programs of Federal assistance designed to increase the 
supply of housing throughout metropolitan areas within the means of 
low- and moderate-income families. 

Additional funds should be provided for programs such as the rent 
supplement program and FHA 221(d)(3), and these two programs should be 

“amended to permit private enterprise to participate in them free from the 
special veto power now held by local governments under present Federal 
statutes. : ; a 

In addition, the Commission recommends that the Department of 
Housing and Urben Development: : 

7. Require as a condition for approval of anblicaiions for low- and 
moderate-income housing projects that the sites will be selected and 
the projects planned in a nondiscriminatory manner that will contrib- 
ute to reducing residential racial concentrations and eliminating racial 
isolation in the schools. : : 

8. Require as a condition for approval of rhein renewal projects 
that relocation will be planned in ‘a nondiscriminatory manner that £5) 
will contribute to reducing residential racial concentrations and elimi- nT 
nating racial isolation in the schools; 

Supplementary Statement by Commissioner Freeman 
~The worsening crisis in our cities is essentially a human crisis. This is a 

truth we tend to forget because the crisis is so often expressed in abstrac- 
tions—dwindling tax revenues, housing ‘trends, unemployment rates,  statis- 

“fics on air pollution, or crime and delinquency. Even in this report, which 
deals with a most fundamental aspect of our current urban dilemma—the 

crisis in public education—we have had to describe what has been happen- 
ing in terms of achievement scores, graphs, and figures. But it must never - 

be forgotten that what we have really been looking at is the brutal and 
unnecessary damage to human lives. : 

For it is unnecessary at this point in a Nation as affluent as ours that 
hundreds of thousands of poor children, a disproportionate number of them 
Negro children, should be isolated in inadequately staffed and equipped 
slum schools—schools which the community has stigmatized as inferior. 

~ And, at the same time, on the other side of the Great Divide which we have 
too long permitted in public education, the advantaged children—most of 

* them white—attend schools in the suburbs and outlying residential sections. * - 
of our cities which have a disproportionate share’ of the best teachers, 
which offer the most advanced curricula and facilities, and which provide . 
individualized attention of a ind. and quality seldom available to the mi- 
nority poor. ¢ : 

Segregation is a term at which on Horhaiiges wince, but for genera- “ - 3 
- tions of poor Negroes in the North, segregation has been a reality which EOE 
‘has hardly been mitigated by legalistic distinctions: between de facto and wl 

  . 

p
r
 

TN
   

rt
 
a
 

ad



  

ne 

de jure. Neither the presence of nondiscrimination statutes nor the absence - 

of overtly discriminatory laws has been very effective so far in erasing the 

barriers between Negro and white, advantaged and disadvantaged, edu- 

cated dnd miseducated. Only if this is understood can we also understand 

why today there are Negro Americans who are saying, in effect: Since we 

seem to be tending toward public school systems offering a superior quality - 
of education in middle-class and white schools and inferior quality in 
schools for poor Negro children, why not accept the separation as inevita- 

ble and concentrate on attempting to provide superior education in the 
schools attended by the Negro poor? This question is likely to have a more 

convincing ring than it otherwise would have because it comes at a time 
when education is only one of several pressing priorities which command 

the country's attention, and when there is doubt about the strength of this 

Nation's commitment to-the social changes which simple justice and our 

national principles demand. To the extent that the civil rights movement of 

the past several years has produced an impatience with the status quo, an 
upsurge of self-esteem, and a new assertion of dignity and identity among 
Negro citizens, it is healthy and long overdue. However, there is little that is .- - 

healthy and much that is potentially self-defeating in the emotionalism and 

racial bias that seem to motivate a small but vocal minority among those ad 

who now argue for "‘separate-but-equal’ school systems. 

It is certainly true that in the past a good many Negroes have emerged : re 

. from segregated schools to earn advanced degrees, to acquire comfortable 
incomes, and to register achievements which are too seldom recorded in the 

books with which most American schoolchildren are supplied. But the fact 5 

that the barriers imposed by segregation have been overcome by some of . .. at 

_ the more talented, the more determined, and the more fortunate, would 

hardly seem to recommend it to thousands of disadvantaged youngsters for .- : 

whom segregation has already demonstrated its capacity to cripple rather 

than to challenge. Quite aside from being poor democracy, it would seem 

to be poor economy, and criminally poor educational policy, to continue to 

"isolate disadvantaged children by race and class when it is the interaction |. i 
with advantaged children which appears to be the single most effective: * 

factor in narrowing the learning gap. BT 

Let us be clear on the issues. The question is not whether in theory or in’. Eg 

the abstract Negro schools can be as good as white schools. in a socieiy 

free from prejudice in which Negroes were full and equal participants, the 

answer would clearly be Yes." But we are forced, rather, to ask the harder =~: 

. question, whether in our present society, where Negroes are a minority Ei 

which has been discriminated against, Negro children can prepare them-: i - 

selves to participate effectively in society if they grow up and go to school 

in isolation from_the majority group. We must also ask whether we can cure 

the disease of prejudice and prepare all children for life in a multiracial bd fe 

world if white children grow up and go to school in isolation from Negroes: : ie : 

We are convinced that a great deal more, not less, integration is the Yi 2 

"wisest course to follow if we are really concerned about the future of Ameri-. . oni 3 

“can children of all races and classes. As the principal value-bearing institu- REEIR 

‘tion which at one time or another touches everyone in our society, the * SI 
PRE hy CIN aS ky 

20 

v
—
—
 

  
a
i
t
 

e
t
 

he
 

ge
 

en
 
g
e
 
ST

 
p
e
n
 

oh
 
S
h
 

vt
 

: 
r 

en 
Ly 

Ta
ye
 

Ti
 

: 

    

+" schoc 

future 

“- who 
be le 

CL prese 

“7 than 
one 

neces 
“oi the 
 prese 
cours 
“natio 
educ 

eels a 
the c 

= vals, 
‘the ¢ 

hes Cand p 

Co 

| oe Suj 

Be 

©: in thi 

+. secon 
- speak 

all of 
- count 

". what 

ing pi 

   



bsence 

ng the 

, edu- 

rstand 

ce we 

quality 

lity in | 

evita. 

in the 

1 more 

a time 

mand 

of this 

id our 

ent of 

uo, an 
among 
that is 

m and 

those EE 

erged ln 
rtable’ 
in the 

e fact 
me of . .. - 

would 

ers for“. 
rather 

| seem 

nue to 2 

action: D:. i 

fective: * 

y or in 
socieiy 

ts, the 

harder in 

inority 

school 

In cure 

tiracial =" : ni 

groes. : Ain 

is the - ETN 

Ameri- Ay 3 

instity- 

ty, the "© 

  

  

S
E
 

a
 

rs
 

" 
P
l
e
a
 

R
y
,
 

te
 

L
E
N
 

    

~~ school is crucial in determining what kind of country this is to be. If in the 
future the adults in our society who make decisions about who gets a job, 

“ - who lives down the block, or the essential worth of another person are to 

be less likely to make these decisions on the basis or race or class, the 

“present cycle must be breken in classrooms which provide better education 

+ than ever, and in which children of diverse backgrounds can come to know 

~~~ one another. None of the financial costs or the administrative adjustments 

necessary to bring about integrated quality education will be as costly to 

“<. the quality of American life in the long run as the continuation of our- 

~._ present educational policies and practices. For we are now on a collision 

." course which may produce within our borders two alienated and unequal 

_. nations confronting each other across a widening gulf created by a dual 

educational system based upon income and race. Our present school crisis 

is a human crisis, engendered and sustained in large part by the actions, 

the apathy, or the shortsightedness of public officials and private individ- 

vals, It can be resolved only by the commitment, the creative energies, and 

"the combined resources of concerned Americans at every level of public 
"and private life. 

Commissioner Hesburgh concurs in this statement. 

LJ 

i Supplementary Statement by Commissioner Hesburgh 

Because of the national importance of the educational situation described 

2 Ys in this report and the large number of students in private elementary and 

+ .secondary educational institutions, it would seem most important to me, 

~ speaking as an individual member of this Commission, that those involved in 

‘all of the private elementary and secondary educational endeavors in this 

..country study the full implications of this report and consider most seriously 

.. what their institutions might sontibule to the ultimate solution of this pres a 

ih ing problem, : 

a
 

: 
T. [||0acb36b9-559e-41c6-9368-4da75e4a1844||]