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Title: Desegregation and Educational Attainment for Blacks: Evidence from Louisiana

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2004

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Abstract: The desegregation of Southern schools following the Supreme Courts 1954 Brown decisionwas one of the more important innovations in U.S. education policy in the 20th century. Thispaper assesses the effects of desegregation of Louisiana schools on its intended beneficiaries,black students. Substantial reductions in segregation between 1965 and 1970 wereaccompanied by large increases in per-pupil funding in Louisiana, allowing districts to levelup school spending in integrated schools to that previously experienced only in the whiteschools. Pre-existing black-white spending gaps were largest in districts with higher initialblack enrollment share, so blacks in higher black enrollment share districts experiencedlarger increases in funding, compared to their counterparts in lower black enrollment sharedistricts. A one standard deviation increase in initial black enrollment share was associatedwith an additional $290 (2000 dollars) in per-pupil funding and a 3.5 percentage pointincrease in black graduation rates around the time of desegregation. The results also suggestthat the increase in funding associated with desegregation was more important than theincreased exposure to whites.

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Authors: Reber, Sarah J.

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Institution: Princeton University

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Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Education

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