The Grandchildren of Brown: The Long Legacy of School Desegregation

Researcher Rucker Johnson finds a considerable impact of school desegregation that persists to influence the outcomes of the next generation, including increased math and reading test scores, reduced likelihood of grade repetition, increased likelihood of high school graduation and college attendance, improvements in college quality/selectivity, and increased racial diversity of student body at their selected college. The findings demonstrate that part of the intergenerational transmission of inequality can be attributable to school quality related influences. The results in turn highlight parental education as a causal determinant of generational mobility.