But such advances, argues powell, come at a cost. Black students who attend mostly white schools have simply been expected to assimilate, leaving some cynical and others angry and frustrated. Where the racial balance is more even, schools have responded by tracking students into different classes. Tracking has given us desegregated schools but segregated classrooms. As a result, says powell, white students learn that blacks can't compete.
Black students believe schools cater to whites.
Latinos face problems similar to blacks but attribute them to language, not race. And because educators don't discuss race, children have no framework for understanding their experience. And he will seek out schools that have changed to educate a multiracial student body as models for true integration. With nearly a third of American schoolchildren now minorities, making schools work for a diverse student body is critical. Professor Orfield says that despite the trends toward resegregation documented in his book, substantial public support remains for integrating schools.