In honor of the recent 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Equal Opportunity Project at Stanford University has launched “Segregation Explorer,” an interactive website providing data on racial and economic segregation in United States schools from 1991 to 2022.
The new map stems from research conducted by Stanford University which analyzed United States public school data from 1967 to present. According to their findings, school segregation between Black and White students has increased by 64 percent since 1988. Additionally, the study authors examined economic disparities by measuring segregation in students eligible and ineligible for free school lunch. Their analysis found a 50 percent increase in economic segregation between Black and White students since 1991.
The research team believes this sharp increase in school segregation can be attributed to legal decisions and increases in charter school offerings. Since 1991, about 66 percent of districts originally under court-ordered desegregation after Brown v. Board of Education are no longer under court oversight. Additionally, the number of charter schools across the country has steadily grown since the 1980s. School districts in areas where charter schools experienced the most expansion saw significant increases in segregation.
The Stanford University researchers encourage school district leaders to examine their current educational policies and make changes aimed at positively promoting school integration. They stress programs geared towards voluntary integration, equitable school choice options, and socioeconomic-based assignments could help reverse the rising rates of school segregation.
