Doctoral Dissertation Research: Voluntary Desegregation and Educational Outcomes.

SES-0903080 Sean ReardonKendra Bischoff斯坦福大学学术成就和社会成果的种族和民族差异是美国教育景观的持续特征。消除这些差异的一个突出的法律的和政策补救措施是学校种族隔离。然而，不平等在多大程度上源于学校环境的差异或家庭背景和其他校外属性的差异，这一点尚不清楚。 在这项研究中，调查人员利用一个随机分配的学生到一个废除种族隔离计划来回答这个问题，“给定相同的家庭背景，什么是少数民族学生参加一个更一体化，更高成就的学校的影响？“该分析使用了一项自愿的区际废除种族隔离计划的数据，该计划允许少数族裔学生从以少数族裔和低收入为主的地区转学到邻近的、以白色和中上层阶级为主的地区。 该项目将使用三个数据来源来评估感兴趣的成果：1）学区行政记录，以评估学术成果; 2）学生和家长调查，以评估社会成果; 3）深入的家长和学生访谈，以测试将学校环境与学生成果联系起来的机制。 先前的研究主要集中在学校对学业成绩的影响上;然而，学校环境的一些最深刻的影响可能是社会的-反映在学生的态度，友谊，公民参与程度以及种族和民族身份上。 这种混合方法的方法将提供一个机会，探索驱动观察到的结果的过程中，已经失去了对以前的research.Broader影响：这项研究有影响的少数民族和低收入青年的教育机会。 种族成就差距已被证明是顽固的，尽管问责制程序带来了全面的变化，不让一个孩子掉队的立法。 很少有好的证据表明，学校中的种族隔离可以减轻成绩差距，或者它可以如何为少数民族和低收入学生将来参与主流环境做好社会准备，例如多样化的四年制大学或白领工作。 通过向学者、政策制定者和学校从业人员广泛传播本研究的结果，研究结果可能会为学校分配决策提供信息。

SES-0903080Sean ReardonKendra BischoffStanford UniversityRacial and ethnic disparities in academic achievement and social outcomes are persistent features of the U.S. educational landscape. One prominent legal and policy remedy for these disparities is school desegregation. It is unclear, however, to what extent inequalities stem from differences in school environments or from differences in family background and other extra-school attributes. In this research, the investigators exploit a random assignment of students to a desegregation program to answer the question, "Given the same family background, what is the effect on minority students of attending a more integrated, higher-achieving school?" The analysis uses data from a voluntary interdistrict desegregation plan that allows minority students to transfer from a largely minority and low-income district into neighboring, mostly white and upper middle-class districts. The project will use three sources of data to assess the outcomes of interest: 1) School district administrative records to assess academic outcomes; 2) Student and parent surveys to assess social outcomes; and 3) In-depth parent and student interviews to test the mechanisms that connect school context to student outcomes. Prior research has primarily focused on the effect of schools on academic outcomes; however, some of the most profound effects of school context are likely social--reflected in students' attitudes, friendships, level of civic engagement, and racial and ethnic identities. This mixed-method approach will provide an opportunity to explore the processes that drive the observed outcomes, something that has been lost on previous research.Broader Impacts: This research has implications for the educational opportunities for minority and low-income youth. Racial achievement gaps have proven to be stubborn, despite the sweeping changes in accountability procedures brought about by the No Child Left Behind legislation. There is very little good evidence on the ways in which desegregation in schools may alleviate achievement gaps or how it may socially prepare minority and low-income students for future participation in mainstream settings, such as diverse 4-year colleges or white-collar jobs. By broadly disseminating the findings from this study to academics, policy makers, and school practitioners, findings could potentially inform school assignment decisions.