Study of School District Borders Shows US, AL Economic Segregation
A wide body of research shows that students in poor school districts face real disadvantages. But the way the U.S. funds schools creates pockets of poverty right next to enclaves of wealth. That’s one conclusion of a report being released today by the nonprofit group EdBuild. It analyzed the nation’s 33,500 school district borders and then ranked the 50 that reflect and perpetuate economic segregation the most.
In Alabama, there are seven borders ranked in that 50, one of them between Hoover and Bessemer, the other six surrounding Birmingham City Schools. If the city were a state, it would have the second-most of any state in the nation. Birmingham has a particularly convoluted school district, bordering 13 others while the national average is five. The district is shaped the way it is partly because of a long history of “white-flight” systems seceding.
By the report’s metrics, Birmingham schools have a nearly 50 percent student poverty rate, but nearby Vestavia Hills, for example, is at about six percent, for an over-the-district-border difference of 44 percent. The average difference nationally is seven percent.
Property values, which affect the amount of available local money (which comes with fewer restrictions than state or federal money) skew significantly in favor of the suburbs, too.
The report attributes so much disparity to breakaway school systems, reliance on property taxes, and court rulings that have thwarted across-district desegregation efforts.
“The entire system is crazy,” says EdBuild founder and CEO Rebecca Sibilia. “People very rarely think about the use of school district boundaries as a means of state-sanctioned segregation … but when it comes to school districts, your neighbors matter.”
The report notes that whole-county school systems, and larger tax pools in general, tend to smooth out disparities between districts.
For a good national overview of the report, click here. To download the entire report, click here.
Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea by apparent "friendly fire", the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Party City files for bankruptcy and plans to shutter nationwide
Party City was once unmatched in its vast selection of affordable celebration goods. But over the years, competition stacked up at Walmart, Target, Spirit Halloween, and especially Amazon.
Sudan’s biggest refugee camp was already struck with famine. Now it’s being shelled
The siege, blamed on the Rapid Support Forces, has sparked a new humanitarian catastrophe and marks an alarming turning point in the Darfur region, already overrun by violence.
FDA approves weight loss drug Zepbound to treat obstructive sleep apnea
The FDA said studies have shown that by aiding weight loss, Zepbound improves sleep apnea symptoms in some patients.
Netflix is dreaming of a glitch-free Christmas with 2 major NFL games set
It comes weeks after Netflix's attempt to broadcast live boxing between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was rife with technical glitches.
Big dreams: He’s the founder of a leading African photobook library
Paul Ninson had an old-school, newfangled dream: a modern library devoted to photobooks showing life on the continent. He maxed out his credit cards, injured his back — and made it happen.
