A recent study published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities has revealed a concerning link between increasing school segregation and persistent racial health disparities in the United States. Researchers analyzed data from 1,051 U.S. counties over nearly three decades, from 1991 to 2020, and found that while residential segregation remained largely stable, school segregation increased significantly during this period.
The study, led by Michael Siegel, a professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, examined the effects of both residential and school segregation on various health outcomes. These included life expectancy, early mortality, infant mortality, firearm homicide rates, total homicide rates, and teen birth rates.
Results showed that counties with higher levels of school segregation experienced greater racial disparities in health outcomes. “We found that during the period 1991-2020, racial residential segregation was essentially unchanged among the 1,051 counties in our sample,” Siegel said. “However, racial school segregation increased during this period.
Moreover, increases in school segregation from 1991 to 2000 were associated with higher levels of racial disparities in health outcomes during the period 2000-2020 and with less progress in reducing these disparities.”
The study also revealed that school segregation emerged as an independent predictor of racial health disparities, suggesting that reducing school segregation could be effective in improving health outcomes for Black Americans. “This paper provides new evidence that school segregation is associated with higher levels of racial health disparities, even after accounting for the degree of racial residential segregation,” Siegel explained.
While the study has some limitations, such as restricted data availability for certain counties, it highlights the urgent need to address school segregation as a means of reducing racial health disparities in the United States.
See “Increasing school segregation linked to worsening health outcomes for Black Americans” (July 14, 2024)
