Race comparisons of student course enrollments and extracurricular memberships in segregated and desegregated high schools

This report examines the resegregation of black and white students which may occur in desegregated schools due to differential enrollment and participation in academic programs and extracurricular activities. The report analyzes data collected by the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) of 1318 high school graduating classes of 1972 throughout the United States. The data include regional and educational level comparisons of classroom segregation; average participation rates in extracurricular activities by race, sex, and region in segregated and desegregated schools; participation in activities by students in the same desegregated high schools by race, sex, and region; percent participation in academic programs and courses by students in the same desegregated high schools by race, sex and region; and a comparison of estimated probabilities of cross-race student contact in desegregated high schools under different course assignment practices by sex and region. The results of the survey showed greater participation in extracurricular activities among black male students in desegregated schools, but found less participation among whites in the same setting. The results also showed that black students are less likely than whites to be enrolled in academic programs in segregated and desegregated schools; however, blacks and whites are equally likely to be enrolled in most courses in desegregated schools.