Forced Justice: School Desegregation and the Law / Edition 1

by David J. Armor

Overview

School desegregation and "forced" busing first brought people to the barricades during the 1960s and 1970s, and the idea continues to spark controversy today whenever it is proposed. A quiet rage smolders in hundreds of public school systems, where court- ordered busing plans have been in place for over twenty years. Intended to remedy the social and educational disadvantages of minorities, desegregation policy has not produced any appreciable educational gains, while its political and social costs have been considerable. Now, on the fortieth anniversary of the Supreme Court's epic decision, Brown v. Board of Education, the legal and social justifications for school desegregation are ripe for reexamination.

In Forced Justice, David J. Armor explores the benefits and drawbacks of voluntary and involuntary desegregation plans, especially those in communities with "magnet" schools. He finds that voluntary plans, which let parents decide which school program is best for their children, are just as effective in attaining long-term desegregation as mandatory busing, and that these plans generate far greater community support. Armor concludes by proposing a new policy of "equity" choice, which draws upon the best features of both the desegregation and choice movements. This policy promises both improved desegregation and greater educational choices for all, especially for the disadvantaged minority children in urban systems who now have the fewest educational choices.

The debate over desegregation policy and its many consequences needs to move beyond academic journals and courtrooms to a larger audience. In addition to educators and policymakers, Forced Justice will be an important book for social scientists, attorneys and specialists in civil rights issues, and all persons concerned about the state of public education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195111354
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/24/1996
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.13(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.72(d)
Lexile:	1650L (what's this?)

About the Author

David J. Armor is Research Professor at The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. While writing this book he was Senior Research Scholar of the Social Philosophy and Policy Center of Bowling Green State University, Ohio and Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology, Rutgers University. Formerly he was Senior Social Scientist at the Rand Corporation and Associate Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He has also served as an elected member of the Los Angeles Board of Education and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for military manpower and personnel.

Table of Contents

	Introduction: The Desegregation Dilemma	3
	Desegregation and the Law	5
	The Harm and Benefit Thesis	8
	Housing Segregation and School Desegregation	10
	Desegregation Remedies	11
	The Future of School Desegregation and Choice	13
1.	Desegregation Policy and the Law	17
	The Brown Decision and the Civil Rights Act	18
	The Evolution of Remedy from Green to Keyes	26
	Milliken and the Limits of Liability and Remedy	38
	The Issue of Unitary Status	48
	A Summary of Desegregation Law	54
2.	The Harm and Benefit Thesis	59
	History of the Harm and Benefit Thesis	61
	Desegregation and Achievement	76
	Desegregation and Other Outcomes	98
	Status of the Harm and Benefit Thesis	111
3.	Housing Segregation and School Desegregation	117
	Housing Segregation in School Desegregation Cases	119
	The Causes of Residential Segregation	127
	The Relation between School and Housing Segregation	146
	Housing and School Desegregation Policy	151
4.	The Effectiveness of Desegregation Remedies	154
	The Scope of Remedies	156
	Desegregation Definitions	158
	National Trends in School Desegregation	165
	Desegregation and White Flight	174
	Effectiveness of Alternative Desegregation Plans	180
	Community and Parent Views on School Desegregation	195
	Desegregation and Resegregation	208
5.	The Future of Desegregation and Choice	211
	Systems with Desegregation Plans	213
	Systems without Desegregation Plans	218
	Desegregation and Choice	225
	Appendix	235
	Notes	239
	Bibliography	257
	Table of Cases	263
	Index	265

Editorial Reviews

"The most thorough and incisive examination of school desegregation I am aware of."—Shelby Steele, author, The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America

From the Publisher