Race in the Schools: Perpetuating White Dominance?

Judith Blau's disturbing study presents strong evidence that our schools, assumed by many to be an equalizing force in U.S. society, are in fact racialized settings that reproduce white advantage—to the detriment of all students.

Drawing on rich, longitudinal databases, Blau explores the values, activities, and educational experiences of a sample of young people born a decade or so after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed into law. She focuses on topics that are both important in students' lives and central in schooling: attitudes toward integrity and cheating, "getting into trouble," interracial relations, learning, and going to college. Her remarkable findings challenge many assumptions long held by researchers and policymakers.

Race in the Schools, combining an accessible style, sophisticated methodology, and clear policy relevance, is a seminal study of the pervasive consequences of race in the U.S. education system.