Is Separate Still Unequal? New Evidence on School Segregation and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps

U.S. public schools are highly segregated by both race and class. Prior research shows that the desegregation of Southern schools in the 1960s and 1970s led to significant benefits for black students, including increased educational attainment and higher earnings. We do not know, however, whether segregation today has the same harmful effects as it did 50 years ago, nor do we have clear evidence about the mechanisms through which segregation affects achievement patterns. In this paper the authors estimate the effects of current-day school segregation on racial achievement gaps.