Search

Since 1952, the South has experienced a remarkable growth in private schools. These new schools, because of their relationship to the desegregation of public schools, have often been dubbed "Segregation Academies". This phenomenon is quite extensive, and the evidence seems to indicate that it may well be continuing. There are 6 basic types of private (non-parochial) schools: schools for special groups; schools for the handicapped; college preparatory schools; Christian schools (non-denominational); community schools; and Segregation Academies. The Segregation Academies, predominant in the South, arose out of the desegregation movement in the early 1950's. They first played a dual role -- acting as a safety valve to prevent possible racial violence while prolonging, if not heightening, racial tensions. Since that time, these schools have flourished and appeared to have become a permanent part of southern life. Discussing this issue, the paper concludes: (1) private education in the South is a factor that must be reckoned with; (2) since these schools are not bound by tradition or bureaucracy, they may develop innovative educational models that can be used in public schools; (3) where private schools are strong in a local community, the public school may need to place a stronger emphasis on vocational curricula; (4) some type of open communication needs to be established between the public and private systems; and (5) some form of state accreditation and/or setting of educational standards should be afforded these schools. (KM)

This research is basically a search for a model to explain why some districts achieved a higher degree of desegregation than others in their efforts to disestablish the dual system. The population studied consists of all of the school districts in Mississippi, and the unit of analysis was the local school district. Three types of variables were conceptualized and measures developed: school, community, and desegregation. Desegregation was the focus of the study and therefore the dependent variable. However, no effort was made to determine cause and effect. The measures of the variables were drawn from both primary and secondary sources and were gathered on the 147 districts. Primary data were obtained from district superintendents by use of a questionnaire which contained 47 items. There was a 95 percent response rate. Secondary data were gathered mainly from publications by the State Department of Education, records of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and Publications of the U.S. Census Bureau. Field theory provided the theoretical framework through which the desegregation process was viewed in the school and the community. However, its use was limited in that the complexity of the subject and the lack of related studies make it difficult to utilize a general theory at the basic level of analysis demanded by the data at this stage in the research of the desegregation process. (Author/JM)

In order to study the impact of integration on the racial balance of Mississippi school districts, questionnaires were mailed to 147 District School Superintendents resulting in a 95 percent response rate. School enrollments by race for 1970 were furnished for 90 percent of the districts by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare along with compliance status reports. The 1960 U.S. Census and other statistical publications were used. Some results are as follows. Only two of Mississippi's 150 school districts are not desegregated: these are all-black districts. Ninety-three percent of all public school pupils are attending desegregated schools. Eighty-nine percent of Negro pupils and 98 percent of white pupils are in racially integrated situations. While faculty integration is nearly complete, hiring practices favor the white teachers, and black administrators are being phased out. In almost every instance the ratio of white teachers to black is higher than the ratio of the student body: differences up to 40 percent have been found. While in 1964 there were only three non-sectarian private schools in operation, today there are 236 in operation. One hundred and sixty-three segregation academies are operating in 64 counties with an enrollment of 54,037. (Author/JM)

Five aspects of the psychological assessment of children are considered. First, the hypotheses of assessment are examined, with attention to the role of the scientist-clinician, the nature and the social and personal determinants of development, and the ego as the object assessment. Second, methods of data collection are surveyed, including techniques based on samples of manifest behavior, on subjective reports, and on associative behavior. The nature and evaluation of assessment techniques are also considered. Third, procedures in assessment are discussed; they include the assessment milieu, referral, and the assessment procedure. Fourth, analysis of the assessment or specifications of the ego functions are treated in the following areas: analysis of perceptual motor and cognitive development, analysis of affect development, assessment of conative development, assessment of social development, analysis of ego functioning and identity formation, and reporting the assessment. Fifth, assessment for psychotherapy and for physiological and environmental interventions is explained. Seventy cases are cited throughout the text. (JD)

Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Southern Agricultural Workers, Jacksonville, Fla., February 2, 1971. Basic types of resegregation are identified, and the private school movement is analyzed. Private schools lack the facilities and services of public schools, and their future looks doubtful for many reasons. (DM)