Brief No. 12 - The National Coalition on School Diversity - October 2017 - Can Socioeconomic Diversity Plans Produce Racial Diversity in K-12 Schools?

Oct 15, 2026

A research brief examining whether socioeconomic status (SES) diversity plans can produce racial diversity in K-12 schools. It reviews evidence showing that racial and economic segregation have been increasing as desegregation orders end, and that many districts shifted from race-conscious policies to SES integration. Findings emphasize that both policy design and local context matter, and that combining SES with neighborhood racial demographics may be the most promising approach for achieving racial integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

SUMMARY

Socioeconomic and racial segregation trends

Policy shifts from race-conscious to SES integration

Do SES policies produce racial diversity?

Forms of SES-inclusive integration plans

Evidence base and research gaps

K-12 studies and higher education evidence

Best-way forward: combining SES and neighborhood race

| Brief No. 12 | The National Coalition on School Diversity | | --- | --- | | October 2017 | Research Brief
Can Socioeconomic Diversity Plans
Produce Racial Diversity in K-12 Schools? | | By Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Erica Frankenberg, and Jennifer Ayscue
SUMMARY
A survey of existing research indicates that both policy design and local context matter when it comes to whether or not socioeconomic status (SES) diversity plans will produce racial diversity—and that considering SES and neighborhood racial factors together may be the best way forward.
| | As remedial desegregation orders around the country end, analyses show that racial and economic segregation is rising.1 In many instances, schools with high concentrations of black and Latino students also serve high concentrations of low-income students.2 The Court’s 2007 jurisprudence in Parents Involved, which invalidateda popular type of race-conscious school integration policy, left some districts focused on socioeconomic status (SES) integration policy as a less legally risky alternative to racial integration policy.3 Indeed, a number of prominent districts have replaced their racial integration policies with SES integration in the last two decades.4 Yet even if, as advocates have suggested, SES diversity plans are less legally risky for districts than racial diversity plans,5 they may not be less politically contentious—or as effective in producing racial integration.6 Given what we know about the distinct benefits of racial diversity in schools (see NCSD Research Brief \#5), alongside the growing interest in and evidence for promoting SES diversity (see NCSD Research Brief \#10), we need to understand 1 Reardon, S. F., Grewal, E. T., Kalogrides, D., & Greenberg, E. (2012) . Brown fades: The end of court-ordered school desegregation and theresegregation of American public schools. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management,31(4), 876-904.; Government Accountability Office. (2016) . Better Use of Information Could Help Agencies Identify Disparities and Address Racial Discrimination. Washington, DC: Author; Orfield, G., Ee, J., Frankenberg, E., & Siegel-Hawley, G. (2016) . Brown at 62: School Segregation by Race, Poverty and State. Los Angeles, CA: Civil Rights Project/ Proyecto Derechos Civiles; Owens, A., Reardon, S. F., & Jencks, C. (online, 2016) . Income Segregation Between Schools and School Districts. American Educational Research Journal DOI: 10.3102/0002831216652722 . 2 Orfield, G., & Frankenberg, E. (2014) . Brown at 60: Great progress, a long retreat and an uncertain future. Los Angeles: Civil Rights Project/ Proyecto Derechos Civiles. 3 But see Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin et al., 579 U. S (2016); Frankenberg, E., & Garces, L. M. (2016, July 20) . Fisher v. University of Texas and Lessons for K-12 Districts. Education Week, 36 . [http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/07/07/ifisheri-v-iuniver](http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/07/07/ifisheri-v-iuniver)sity-of-texasi-and-lessons. html 4 Potter, H., Quick, K., & Davies, E. (2016) . A New Wave of School Integration: Districts and Charters Pursuing Socioeconomic Diversity. New York: The Century Foundation. 5 Kahlenberg, R. (2000) . All Together Now: Creating Middle Class Schools Through Public School Choice. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 6 McDermott, K., Frankenberg, E., & Diem, S. (2015) . The “post-racial” politics of race: Student assignment policy in three urban school districts. Educational Policy 29(3): 504-544; Eaton, S., (2012) . Not your father’s suburb: Race and rectitude in a changing Minnesota community. Available at [http://www.onenationindivisible.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ONIrptNotYourFathersSuburbFIN.pdf](http://www.onenationindivisible.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ONIrptNotYourFathersSuburbFIN.pdf).; Reardon, S. F., Yun, J. T., & Kurlaender, M. (2006) . Implications of income-based school assignment policies for racial sch

FAQs

What does the brief investigate about SES diversity plans?

It asks whether SES diversity plans can also generate racial diversity, which SES plan types have the best prospects for racial integration, and how SES and neighborhood racial demographics can be combined effectively.

Why did districts shift from race-based integration to SES-based approaches?

The brief describes how court decisions ended certain race-conscious policies and left districts treating SES integration as a less legally risky alternative to racial integration.

What factors does the research emphasize for achieving racial integration?

It highlights that policy design and local context both influence outcomes, and that considering SES alongside neighborhood racial factors may provide the best path forward.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair