The impact of increased exposure of diversity on suburban students’ outcomes: An analysis of the METCO voluntary desegregation program
中文摘要
在“布朗诉教育委员会案”判决六十多年后，种族和社会经济隔离以及教育机会获取不平等的问题依然存在。美国各地的自愿取消种族隔离校车接送项目旨在缓解这些失衡与差距。马萨诸塞州长期实施的METCO项目使用校车将来自波士顿和斯普林菲尔德的有色人种K—12年级学生接送至37个自愿招收城市学生的郊区学区。该项目的支持者认为，它能够帮助学生做好准备，成为多元文化社会中的积极公民。反对者则质疑该项目的价值，并担忧其可能对郊区学生的学习结果产生负面影响。我利用两类变异估计通过METCO项目接触多样性的因果效应：一是对学校停止和开始招收METCO学生进行双重差分分析，二是对METCO学生名额可用性进行两阶段最小二乘分析。两种方法均排除了拥有METCO同伴会对考试成绩、出勤或停学处分产生实质性影响的可能性。当METCO项目开始和停止时，班级能力分布和班级停学处分率仍然相近。该项目对大学入学准备、竞争力、学业坚持或毕业均无负面影响。
Abstract
Over sixty years following Brown vs. Board of Education, racial and socioeconomic segregation and lack of equal access to educational opportunities persist. Across the country, voluntary desegregation busing programs aim to ameliorate these imbalances and disparities. A longstanding Massachusetts program, METCO, buses K-12 students of color from Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts to 37 suburban districts that voluntarily enroll urban students. Supporters of the program argue that it prepares students to be active citizens in our multicultural society. Opponents question the value of the program and worry it may have a negative impact on suburban student outcomes. I estimate the causal effect of exposure to diversity through the METCO program by using two types of variation: difference-in-difference analysis of schools stopping and starting their METCO enrollment and two-stage least squares analysis of space availability for METCO students. Both methods rule out substantial test score, attendance, or suspension effects of having METCO peers. Classroom ability distribution and classroom suspension rates remain similar when METCO programs start and stop. There is no negative impact on college preparation, competitiveness, persistence, or graduation.