The future of private Black colleges depends on public and private financial support to enable them to carry out their missions and establish programs of quality. The question should not be whether private Black colleges are needed, but whether the college is of such quality that it deserves support. (MLW)

A survey was conducted in 1985 by the College Board to determine the educational status of blacks in the United States. The conclusion was that even though legal barriers to educational opportunities have been removed, education to a large extent remains separate and unequal in the United States. Desegregation resulted in a system that, for the…

The contact hypothesis proposes that interaction between members of different groups reduces intergroup prejudice if--and only if--certain optimal conditions are present. For over 50 years, research using this framework has explored the boundary conditions for ideal contact and has guided interventions to promote desegregation. Although supporting…

Explores public school desegregation and the consequences of a "facilities" emphasis on children. The author illustrates this issue through personal observations and comments from two black teachers regarding the cultural and social psychological effects of forced public school integration. These observations reveal that the benefits of…

In this paper, the Policy Process Model developed by Charles O. Jones is adopted in order to analyze school desegregation policy in Portland, Oregon. A major focus of this case study is the interaction between the Portland Public School Board and two community groups (the Community Coalition for School Integration and the Black United Front) as…

Milwaukee's voluntary student transfer program started in 1976 and today includes the city school district and 23 suburban districts. This year, 5,856 Milwaukee students chose to attend suburban schools, whereas 874 suburban students are attending Milwaukee schools. A participating superintendent describes the legal-agreement process and…

Drawing from ethnographic study of two kindergartens in a magnet school, suggests that teachers have different perceptions and expectations of Black and White children who misbehave. Holds that the referral of "problem" Black children to counseling and special classes often occurs as a response to administrative and community tensions over…

Describes the rationale behind the efforts of the Black community in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) to establish an independent and separate Black school system. Supports the option of attending racially segregated schools in an effort to improve the academic achievement of Black students. (FMW)

Compares Federal court-ordered school desegregation plans in urban and rural Tennessee school districts. Indicates that approaches differed with varying district characteristics. Suggests that community responses to plans were influenced by such factors as racial composition; customs; leaders' attitudes; environmental and economic conditions; and…

Reviews the contributions of alternative schools to public education over the past decade and predicts diversity and success for the movement in the 1980s. (WD)