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Merging public elementary schools to reduce racial/ethnic segregation
Madison Landry1, Nabeel Gillani1
1Plural Connections Group, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
PNAS Nexus
|March 6, 2025
Summary
School mergers, merging attendance boundaries and grades, can significantly reduce racial/ethnic segregation in US public schools. This policy change shows promise for fostering diverse learning environments with minimal increases in commute times.
Area of Science:
- Education Policy
- Sociology
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Demographic segregation persists in US public schools despite legal desegregation efforts.
- Diverse schools promote empathy, reduce bias, and enhance mutual respect among students.
- Student assignment policies are key to creating integrated learning environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore school mergers as an under-examined student assignment policy for integration.
- To simulate the impact of elementary school mergers on racial/ethnic segregation.
- To compare school mergers with other integration strategies like redistricting.
Main Methods:
- Developed an algorithm to simulate elementary school mergers across 200 large school districts.
- Analyzed the impact on racial/ethnic segregation and student travel times.
- Identified districts with high potential for mergers based on neighborhood interfaces.
Main Results:
- School mergers could reduce racial/ethnic segregation by a median of 20%, up to nearly 60% in some districts.
- Average driving times increased by only a few minutes each way.
- Districts with diverse neighborhood interfaces are ideal candidates for mergers.
Conclusions:
- School mergers present a viable strategy for reducing school segregation.
- The effectiveness of integration policies varies by district, necessitating tailored approaches.
- A public dashboard is available to aid policymakers in exploring school merger possibilities.
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