Racial Segregation in Public Schools. Discussion Papers No. 126-72.

This paper presents data on the racial segregation in public elementary schools in 60 cities for the 1967-68 school year. Periodic racial-ethnic surveys of public schools by the Office for Civil Rights were authorized under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. A wide variation was found among school districts in the fundamental demographic constraints confronting school systems seeking to desegregate. The percentage Negro among students varied from less than five to more than 90 percent. Among instructional staff the percentage Negro ranges from a low of two percent to a high of 84. Levels of racial segregation estimated by the index of dissimilarity were typically high. The index ranged from a low of 39 in Sacramento to a high of 97 in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The average level of school segregation among the 60 cities was 70. The task of desegregation for each city was estimated using an index that reflects both the degree of segregation and the racial composition of students. Cities in the South would have to let an average of 32 percent of their students shift schools compared to 26 percent in the North. Finally the segregation of students of one race from teachers of another was determined. Race of teachers in most school systems continues to be restricted mainly to that of their students. (Author/JM)