Schools Grew More Segregated In 1990s, Report Says

By Mary Ann Zehr

Washington

Despite the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court nearly a half-century ago that school segregation was unconstitutional, the nation's schools became increasingly more separated by race in the 1990s, according to a report by the Harvard Civil Rights Project.

While schools in the South still have more integration of African-Americans and whites than before the desegregation movement, they lost ground on that front over the past decade, the report released last month says. And it highlights a newer phenomenon that has emerged with the increased Hispanic presence in the United States: Segregation of Latinos from non-Hispanic whites in schools is even greater than it is for blacks.

"Segregation is actually increasing," Gary Orfield, a co-director of Harvard University's Civil Rights Project and the lead researcher for the study, said at a July news conference. "Ignoring that reality leads to adoption of education policies that punish people who haven't had equal educational opportunities. ... It's a direct threat to the future...