white schools does not lower educational standards. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the scholastic achievement of Negroes in such schools has improved, and no evidence of a resultant reduction. in the achievement of white students.

These facts are pointed up by the experience in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., the two large cities that integrated their dual systems in 1954. Dr. Carl F. Hansen, the Superintendent of Schools in Washington, stated that the over-all standards of the school system have gone up since desegregation. He further stated that such was the case even though the number of white pupils has decreased steadily. He cited this as proof of the educability of Negro pupils in spite of the substantial incidence of cultural and economic poverty of the group."

An analysis of the recent performance of almost 8,000 Washington sixth graders on the Stanford Achievement Test showed that these pupils were at or above the national standards in five out of six subjects. Two years ago the sixth graders were below the national standards in all of the subject areas, and, last year they met the standard in only one subject. However, these test results may be affected somewhat by the fact that efforts to improve the educational program have resulted in a substantial increase in the number of pupils receiving special attention in atypical classes students not included statistically in the test group reported on." This is normal testing procedure.

Dr. John H. Fischer, the Baltimore Superintendent of Schools, did not observe that putting Negro children in school with white children made any difference in school achievement. Rather, for both races, he saw a close correlation between cultural background and school achievement.10 Dr. Fischer declared that "Desegregation has no more effect on academic standards than it has on the yardstick by which a pupil's height is measured." 11 On the positive side, desegregation has resulted in better educational opportunities for Negroes in Baltimore. With general efforts to improve the educational program, the opportunities for white children have also been increased.12

In Louisville, records of achievement by race have been kept for many years. A study, made after two years of desegregation experience, showed a substantial and statistically significant improvement

Nashville Conference, p. 60.

7 Statement submitted to Commission, p. 8.

S.S.N., May 1959, p. 4.

There were 1,298 in Special Education classes of elementary schools in Oct. 1954; 2,801 in such classes in Oct. 1957.-Report, District School Department of General Research and Statistics, Office of the Statistician, Dec. 4, 1957.

in the academic achievement of Negro pupils, and a slight increase in the achievement of whites in desegregated schools.13 Similar, but perhaps less marked, improvement was noted in the schools attended solely by members of each of the two races. Dr. Omer Carmichael, the Louisville Superintendent, attached significance to the improvement of Negro achievement and explained the improvement in allNegro schools by saying that the Negro teachers were working to refute his expressed opinion that on the average, Negro teachers were not as competent as white.14

Dr. Ward I. Miller, the Wilmington Superintendent, also noted improvement in the performance of Negro children and in the over-all quality of education since desegregation.15 He did not attribute this to desegregation but to a concentrated drive to improve the educational program all along the line. Dr. Carmichael agreed generally with this, but expressed the opinion that desegregation itself also helped the Negro pupil to raise his achievement.16

The principal of a desegregated school in Oklahoma City found that, although Negro pupils were concentrated in the lower ability groups, standards of achievement were maintained.17 Dr. Melvin W. Barnes, the Superintendent in Oklahoma City, stated that while adjustments were required with increases in the number of Negro children in formerly all-white schools and in the total class size, the standards were kept high as incentive for Negro pupils to work toward and possibly attain higher educational achievements through desegregation.18

Similar reports were made from places other than the large cities. Reporting on the State of West Virginia as a whole, Dr. Rex M. Smith, Assistant State Superintendent of Schools, testified that, although records were not kept by race, there was no evidence that desegregation caused a drop in achievement. In fact, he said, there has been a normal rise in achievement from year to year.19

In both San Angelo, Tex., and Logan County, Ky., it was reported that Negro pupils at first had difficulty in maintaining the grade level achieved in segregated schools. 20 However, the Superintendent in San Angelo reported that after three years the scholastic record of Negro children has shown gradual improvement,21 and the Logan County Superintendent stated that the Negro pupils now appeared

13 Nashville Conference, p. 154.

14 Id. at 156.

15 Id. at 74, 76, 77.

16 Id. at 158.

17 Id. at 98.

18 Id. at 102.

19 Id. at 120.

20 Id. at 48, 182.

21 Id. at 44.

to be doing a little better.22 Neither superintendent reported a reduction in over-all standards or in the achievement of white pupils.

Similar reports were received from Hobbs, N.M., and Leavenworth, Kans. The Leavenworth Superintendent stated that their limited desegregation program had not harmed the educational programs in the formerly all-white schools,23 and the Hobbs Superintendent reported that some Negro students appeared to be improving in the desegregated situation.24

The superintendents were unanimous in their observation that the achievement level of Negro children as a group was below that of the white children as a group. No one took exception to the view that this low level of achievement was closely related to a generally substandard cultural and economic background rather than to any racial factor.

It was Dr. Fischer's opinion that I. Q. comparisons would be on much sounder ground if white and Negro children with the same general cultural background were compared, rather than comparing all white children with all Negro children.25 Dr. Carmichael noted that in Louisville such comparisons had indicated that there was substantially less difference between the two races.26

A less tangible factor that can make a substantial difference in the results of a comparison of white and Negro I. Q. and achievement was said by Dr. Fischer to be that of the deprivation of motivation that comes from our general social situation. The Negro child in our society knows that he does not have the same opportunity of rising to the top in his chosen occupation or profession as a white child, no matter how diligently he applies himself. This knowledge deprives him of ambition to do well scholastically.27

Granted then that the Negro child has generally shown less achievement in school, whatever the reason or reasons, how has this problem been met by school systems that have desegregated without a lowering of standards or achievement?

Meeting the educational problems

While it is obvious that the scope of the educational problem is largely determined by the number of children of both races who are brought together for the first time, the potential effect of desegregation is not often the actual effect. Many things can validly be done to limit the initial impact, even where there are substantial numbers

Id. at 184.

23 Id. at 24.

24 Id. at 14.

25 Id. at 188.

28 Ibid.

Id. at 188, 189.

of Negro children in the total school population. A plan for gradual desegregation or a pupil placement procedure are examples. Factors in our society and community life may work against realization of the full desegregation potential. Examples of this are patterns of residence which are often racial and a hesitancy on the part of persons of a minority group to seek admission to white schools when they have the opportunity.

In any event, many communities are meeting successfully the problems created by the unification of dual school systems. A number of the large cities that experienced substantial desegregation have utilized ability grouping in coping with the problem of differences in achievement level. This procedure was not in all cases adopted specifically to meet educational problems arising out of school desegregation, but it is apparently the unanimous opinion that it has been helpful.28

mum.

In Washington a "four-track" system was employed "in an effort to make it possible for every child under the desegregation process to get a maximum educational opportunity, [and] to make it clear that the gifted as well as the slow will be challenged at their maxiThe track system, it was said, offered reassurance that the mixing of Negroes and whites in the classroom would not impair the educational opportunity of anyone.29 The program in Washington was at the high school level, but ability groupings were utilized in lower grades also. Negroes predominate in the lower achievement tracks in Washington, but there are a substantial number in the honors track too.30

Wilmington had utilized a system of ability grouping prior to school desegregation, but its system of three tracks has been revised since desegregation to meet the needs of the student body. St. Louis after six years of study instituted a similar three-track system in the school year 1957-58. The following was stated as the reason for adopting the ability grouping plan:

Great difficulty is being experienced in the secondary schools in the matter of counseling and directing students in the course patterns from which they can profit most. Students of low achievement are, in many instances, electing classes in which they cannot effectively do the standard work required. Students capable of superior achievement are sometimes electing course patterns which do not adequately challenge them."

Kansas City, Mo., with a considerably smaller percentage of Negroes, began a pilot program in 1957 in a junior high school where

28 In relating these facts, the Commission is not advocating any position on the subject of ability grouping as such. It is recognized that educators differ on their soundness. 29 Nashville Conference, p. 57.

30 Id. at 61.

81 See Id. at 74, 75, 77, 79.

32 St. Louis Public Schools, The Three Track Plan, Jan. 1958, p. 3.

almost 100 percent of the students were Negroes. The purposes of the program were:

(1) To find ways of discovering pupils with superior potentiality.

(2) To identify causes of poor motivation among students with superior capabilities.

(3) To determine ways of adjusting the school program in order to help the superior students achieve more.

(4) To apply some of the known guidance techniques more intensively in order to test their effectiveness.

(5) To establish a method of operation that could be used in other schools.33

In 1954, a year before desegregation, San Angelo, Tex., began a three-track program in basic subjects. Mr. Wadzeck, the Superintendent, states that this program "has been an excellent instrument to provide for some of our slower Negro students but certainly no more so than to provide for our slower students of other races." 34 However, at the end of the first grading period in the first year of desegregation, it was found that many of the Negro students were in scholastic difficulty. As a consequence, free tutoring classes were offered at night for all high school students. More white students reported for this extra help than did Negro students, but the program was apparently effective because the grades of Negro pupils began to improve.35

Leavenworth, Kans., although it does not have a track system, has a program for academically talented children and a program of "ungraded English" in which children of low achievement are placed. The latter classes are overwhelmingly Negro.36

Maplewood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, had a three-track academic program in its high school during three years of desegregation, but school officials found it necessary to add a fourth composed of students whose reading level was sixth grade and below. The composition of this track was 98 percent Negro.37

In Austin, Tex., the school system was operating with eight or nine different grouping levels in various subjects in order to provide for the needs of Latin-American children. When desegregation of Negro schools occurred, no significant changes in the academic program had to be made.38

Other methods of adjusting the academic program have also been utilized. Obviously there is more opportunity for ability grouping

38.S.N., March 1958, p. 15.

Nashville Conference, p. 44.
Ibid.

28 Id. at 25.

Wey and Corey, op. cit. supra note 3, at 219.

as Id. at 219, 220.