Authors: M. Monique McMillian, Sarah Fuller, Zoelene Hill, Kate Duch, and William A. Darity, Jr.
Abstract: This study uses a North Carolina administrative data set to analyze racial segregation and student achievement in Wake County during race-based and income-based school assignment plans. We find a modest increase in the level of racial segregation in Wake schools during the income-based plan, but compared with other large districts in the state, Wake County remained relatively desegregated. We also find a small increase in reading and math test scores and a narrowing of the Black-White test score gap. Our analysis indicates that the improvement in math scores may be partially due to school composition changes attributable to the income-based assignment plan.
Key Findings
- This study suggests that many previous evaluations of the socioeconomic-based assignment plan in Wake County that relied upon limited descriptive data have overstated its benefits.
- Overall, reading and mathematics scores increased under the income-conscious plan and the achievement gaps between White and Black students and between White students and Latino students narrowed.
- Although we cannot establish whether the socioeconomic-based assignment plan in Wake County caused all the observed increase in student test scores, the plan is clearly associated with higher math test scores and with a rise in scores relative to the other large districts in the state.
Recommendations
- Future research should examine potential mediators in the relationship between school assignment policies and achievement, including teacher quality, class composition, and racial attitudes of teachers.
- Although establishing that socioeconomic-based school assignment policies can provide racial diversity and potentially improved academic outcomes is an important first step, additional research is needed to explore the experience of students in these schools compared with students in schools with more traditional assignment mechanisms.
