Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works

We are frequently told that school integration was a social experiment doomed from the start. But as Rucker C. Johnson demonstrates in , it was, in fact, a spectacular achievement. Drawing on longitudinal studies going back to the 1960s, he shows that students who attended integrated and well-funded schools were more successful in life than those who did not — and this held true for children of all races. Yet as a society we have given up on integration. Since the high point of integration in 1988, we have regressed and segregation again prevails. Contending that integrated, well-funded schools are the primary engine of social mobility, offers a radical new take on social policy. It is essential reading in our divided times.