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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.
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.
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.
"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
"Likely to set off a fresh debate among lawyers, educators and
social scientists...."--The New York Times Book Review
"The result of this marriage of social science research and
participation in the policy process is the most impressive
compilation of empirical evidence showing a depth of contextual
knowledge published to date."--American Political Science
Review
"A compelling argument for..."equity choice"...and a significant
contribution of the discussion of desegregation in America."--The
Indianapolis Star
"Likely to set off a fresh debate among lawyers, educators and
social scientists."--The New York Times Book Review
"Armor's well-balanced analysis leads him to both heartening and
sobering conclusions about the entire enterprise of school
desegregation."--Journal of American History
"Forced Justice is the most thorough and incisive examination of
school desegregation I am aware of. Armor's idea of equity choice
is one of those perfectly reasonable solutions to a complex problem
that seems embarrassingly obvious once you hear it. This book will
change the discussion of school desegregation in America."--Shelby
Steele, author, The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race
in America
"As the era of compulsory busing for school desegregation comes to
a close, David Armor examines the evidence dispassionately. He
finds that the benefits of this policy were usually minuscule, and
the cost often enormous. Forced Justice is a persuasive, detailed
analysis of one of the most divisive policy initiatives in modern
American history. It proves beyond doubt that good intentions are
often not enough."--Glenn Loury, Boston University
"David J. Armor's Forced Justice is a thoughtful, balanced analysis
of one of the most contentious issues in recent American history.
In addition to providing a judicious assessment of the past, Armor
describes the policies that are likeliest to support successful
school desegregation in the future."--Diane S. Ravitch, New York
University
"Finally a comprehensive and balanced study of busing and school
desegregation. If you want a polemic on this controversial problem,
go somewhere else. David Armor's special contribution is that he
has conducted a fact-anchored inquiry that explores whether
mandatory busing to bring about mathematical integration has served
the country well. Equally important, he confronts the critical
issue of how equality in the United States derives its meaning as
well as
its limits from the larger system of democratic values to which it
belongs."--John H. Bunzel, Stanford University
"David Armor's book is the definitive work on the subject of school
desegregation's effects. He carefully evaluates and synthesizes a
massive amount of psychological and sociological research including
his own original studies. For the first time, we are given
definitive conclusions and sound policy implications for one of the
most enduring, controversial, and important educational issues of
the last half century--the effects of desegregation on
African-American students' learning. The book should be
indispensable to educators, scholars, and policy makers concerned
about school desegregation."--Herbert J. Walberg, University of
Illinois at Chicago
"This is the most important book on school desegregation since the
1965 Coleman Report. Indeed, in some respects, it is a more
impressive accomplishment than the Coleman Report since Forced
Justice covers a much broader range of desegregation outcomes and
issues and, unlike the Coleman Report, is
solo-authored."--Christine Rossell, Boston University
"Armor's book is timely....Those who are trying to find a solution
to this conundrum of race and education will need to ponder long
and hard both the evidence and the prescriptions contained
here."--The Review of Politics
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