| Pat Rubio Goldsmith
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
School and neighborhood segregation and young adult outcomes
FINAL REPORT
1. Schools or Neighborhoods or Both? Race and Ethnic Segregation and Educational Attainment
Whites, blacks, and Latinos in the United States tend to live in different neighborhoods and attend different schools. Does this segregation influence youth in the long run? This study used longitudinal data on a recent cohort of young adults (National Educational Longitudinal Study 1988:2000) to see whether neighborhoodsÕ or schoolsÕ proportion black and/or Latino during the high-school years influences educational attainment through age 26. The analyses indicate that concentrations of blacks and Latinos in schools, but not zip code areas, associates with lower attainment in the long run. Students in predominantly black and Latino schools are especially less likely to earn a high-school diploma or equivalent and to earn a bachelorÕs degree or more education than similar students in predominantly white schools.
2. Racial Context, Schools, Neighborhoods and Educational Attainment at Age 26
This study examines the impact of schoolsÕ and neighborhoodsÕ proportion black and Latino during the high school years on educational attainment at age 26. Analyses of NELS data merged with Census information on adolescentsÕ residential zip-code areas shows that schoolsÕ proportion minority but not neighborhoodsÕ reduces educational attainment at age 26 net of studentsÕ ability, SES background, and other covariates. The influential characteristic of neighborhoods is the relative presence of high status neighbors, not its racial composition. Most of the harmful effects of predominantly minority schools result from their focus on compensatory and general education courses instead of college preparation courses. The theoretical and political implications of these findings are discussed.
3. Perpetuation Theory and the Racial Segregation of Young Adults
This study examines whether perpetuation theory can improve the understanding of residential segregation beyond what can be explained by the human capital and place stratification models. Perpetuation theory contends that individuals tend to experience the same racial mix in the institutions they inhabit over time and across institutions. I test predictions from perpetuation theory using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) and the 1990 and 2000 Censuses. As the theory predicts, the proportion white in residential areas and schools during the high-school years is strongly related to proportion white in residential areas for young adults 26 years of age. The strength of the relation is ver similar for whites, blacks, and Latinos. The relationÕs strength is primarily caused by the prevalence of short-distance moves, but it remains robust even for people who move long distances. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
4. Learning Apart, Living Apart: The Lasting Impact of Perpetual Segregation
This study examines the extent to which neighborhoodsÕ percent white is inherited across generations and the extent to which high schoolsÕ and collegesÕ percent white mediates this relationship. The purpose of the study is to examine the role of school segregation in reinforcing residential segregation, and its findings are considered in light of human capital theory, place stratification theory, and perpetuation theory. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and the U.S. Census, this study measures the proportion white that students experience in their high schools, colleges, and neighborhoods during the teenage years and at age 26. Holding constant the percent white in neighborhoods, studentsÕ socioeconomic backgrounds, and other characteristics of individuals, the proportion white that students experience in high school and college has a lasting influence, affecting the percent white in their young adult neighborhoods. The analyses suggest that racial segregation in high schools and colleges reinforces segregation in neighborhoods.
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