According to a recent study, making schools more diverse does not have an impact on the test scores of white children.
Even in today’s day and age, some parents are fearful that increasing diversity in schools can lead to children not receiving as good of an education than when schools are kept predominantly white through methods of districting.
One Missouri parent said at a public meeting, “I’m concerned about my children’s education and safety. This is not a race issue. This is a commitment to education issue.”
However, a recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the performance of white students is not affected by an increase in diversity in schools.
The report reads, “White student achievement in schools with the highest Black student density did not differ from White student achievement in schools with the lowest density.”
The report focused on 8th grade math scores from 2011. It compared the scores of white students to those of black students. The report also took into account the level of diversity in the school. Socio-economic factors such as income level and parent education level were also taken into consideration.
The results showed that the test scores of white students at schools with high percentages of black students were not statistically different from the test scores of white students with low rates of black students.
Basically, the argument that increasing diversity in schools has a negative impact on the test scores of white students is not supported. White students in schools with a large number of black students do just as well academically than schools with a low number of black students.
Additionally, some experts believe that diversification in schools can be a benefit for child development. Students have agreed with this assessment, saying that it gives them a better understanding of the world around them.
So while some ignorant parents still continue to fight against diversification, the statistics are not supporting their arguments.
Stay Connected
