Jan 19, 2015 By David Singer 3 min read

The number of “intensely segregated” schools in Pennsylvania has doubled since 1990 to 11 percent, according to a study from the University of California Los Angeles. The study also said white enrollment in public schools is sliding while non-white minority populations increased. And it found that black and Latino students tend to be in classrooms with double the amount of low-income peers as whites.

“Pennsylvania is disproportionately white compared to other states,” said study contributor and co-author Erica Frankenburg, a professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Frankenberg pointed out numbers for the Pittsburgh region, showing the problem is a lack of change. Since 1990, white students have on average attended schools that are 29 percent low-income, while minority children have typically attended public schools that are 63 percent low-income.

“That’s a share of kids that are increasingly segregated amongst peers … everyone benefits from a more diverse and inclusive student population,” Frankenburg said.

In 2010-11, nearly 60 percent of black students in the Pittsburgh region were enrolled in majority minority schools; 17 percent attended “intensely segregated schools,” which the study defines as 90-100 percent of a school population as a minority demographic.

“Decades of social science research indicate that segregated schools are strongly related to many forms of unequal educational opportunity and outcomes. Minority segregated schools have fewer experienced and less qualified teachers, high levels of teacher turnover, inadequate facilities and learning materials, high dropout rates and less stable enrollments,” the study states. “Conversely, desegregated schools are linked to profound benefits for all students. Desegregated learning environments are related to improved academic achievement for minority students with no corresponding detrimental impact for white students, improved critical thinking skills, loftier educational and career expectations, reduction in students’ willingness to accept stereotypes, heightened ability to communicate and make friends across racial lines, and high levels of civic and communal responsibility.”

Among the recommendations issued in the report, one was striking for its insistence on tackling the problem outside of public schools.

“State and local officials should work to promote diversity in charter school enrollments and consider pursuing litigation against charter schools that are receiving public funds but are intentionally segregated, serving only one racial or ethnic group, or refusing service to English language learners,” the study said.

Other recommendations included reformation of public school systems to facilitate inter-district school choice and transfer; promoting the recruitment of a diverse teacher staff; and auditing fair housing agencies to check for discrimination against potential homebuyers so they can live in a diverse district.

The report concluded that, “…given the trends presented … it is likely that segregation will only continue to intensify if nothing is done to address it.”