Issue: Despite the racial diversity of the general student populace, New Jersey public schools are among the most segregated in the nation, hindering the education of both minority and Caucasian students.
Necessary Background: New Jersey is historically very progressive in the area of racial integration, being one of the first states in the nation to enact anti-segregation laws in 1881. It also is also the only state with a constitutional provision explicitly forbidden segregation. However, in recent decades, schools are becoming increasingly segregated with suburban schools being primarily Caucasian and urban schools often being predominantly of color. These residential patterns are a primary cause of school segregation due to the structure of New Jersey schools. Due to the large number of school districts and the lack of regional districts, school diversity is representative of the diversity or lack thereof in the towns themselves.
Evidence of Problem Existing: Since 1989, the percentage of students attending “apartheid schools”, schools with a less than 1% Caucasian population, has …show more content…
Qualified teachers are far less likely to remain in segregated school districts. School integration is proven to help students of color graduate and advance to college, and as such dropout rates are much higher for districts with high poverty and a high minority population. For Caucasian students, diverse schools aid them in the ability to better joining the diverse, multiracial workforce. A racially integrated school district gives opportunities for students to interact with children of different backgrounds, improves critical thinking skills through the understanding of various perspectives, and reduces the tendencies in students to make stereotypes. The segregation of schools in New Jersey both deprives many children of color a proper education and impedes Caucasian students in training many necessary life
Necessary Background: New Jersey is historically very progressive in the area of racial integration, being one of the first states in the nation to enact anti-segregation laws in 1881. It also is also the only state with a constitutional provision explicitly forbidden segregation. However, in recent decades, schools are becoming increasingly segregated with suburban schools being primarily Caucasian and urban schools often being predominantly of color. These residential patterns are a primary cause of school segregation due to the structure of New Jersey schools. Due to the large number of school districts and the lack of regional districts, school diversity is representative of the diversity or lack thereof in the towns themselves.
Evidence of Problem Existing: Since 1989, the percentage of students attending “apartheid schools”, schools with a less than 1% Caucasian population, has …show more content…
Qualified teachers are far less likely to remain in segregated school districts. School integration is proven to help students of color graduate and advance to college, and as such dropout rates are much higher for districts with high poverty and a high minority population. For Caucasian students, diverse schools aid them in the ability to better joining the diverse, multiracial workforce. A racially integrated school district gives opportunities for students to interact with children of different backgrounds, improves critical thinking skills through the understanding of various perspectives, and reduces the tendencies in students to make stereotypes. The segregation of schools in New Jersey both deprives many children of color a proper education and impedes Caucasian students in training many necessary life