Research Briefs
Elevating critical evidence to inform policy & praCtice
What Does the Research Say About School Integration?
Many studies have shown that racially, culturally, and economically diverse school settings are strongly associated with a range of short and long term benefits for all racial groups. These benefits include gains in math, science, reading, and critical thinking skills, as well as improvements in graduation rates. Research also demonstrates that diverse schools are better equipped than high-poverty schools to counteract the negative effects of poverty. Over the long-term, students who attend diverse schools are more likely than students from homogeneous schools to choose diverse colleges, neighborhoods, and workplaces later in life. They possess better critical thinking skills and analytical ability and are more likely to form cross-racial friendships.
NCSD's Research Briefs synthesize research on the benefits of diverse schools.
Additional Resources
The Diversity in Education Archive (formerly the “Spivack Archive”) is a searchable database of research on the effects of school and classroom ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic composition on student outcomes, developed by Research Advisory Panel member Roslyn Mickelson.
The School Diversity Notebook blog is an exploration of school segregation today. Posts are oriented towards public advocates for school integration and researchers who advance anti-racist public policy. Each post reviews recent news or research on school integration and related issues.
