RACIAL DIVERSITY IN MAINE'S SCHOOLS Jennifer Ayscue The Civil Rights Project, UCLA April 2, 2015

Overview Why does diversity matter? What are the enrollment and segregation trends in Maine’s public schools? What are the trends in Portland and Lewiston? How can Maine plan for increasing diversity in schools?

WHY DOES DIVERSITY MATTER?

Benefits of Diversity Academic Social Long-term

Harms of Segregation Unequal opportunities Teachers Classmates Curriculum Unequal outcomes Academic performance Drop-out rates Success in college

Racial Transition Portland 2000: 2.6% black 2010: 7.1% black Lewiston 2000: 1.1% black 2010: 8.7% black Between 1980 and 2005, diverse areas in the nation’s 50 largest metros were more likely to become predominantly nonwhite than to remain diverse 1 out of 5 suburban school districts in the 25 largest metro areas are experiencing rapid racial change

WHAT ARE THE TRENDS IN MAINE'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

Enrollment Total Enrollment Maine , , , ,323 Northeast ,940, ,007, ,780,729 Nation ,937, ,737, ,782,384

Enrollment by Race, Maine

Very Few Minority Segregated Schools in Maine 0.8% of Maine’s schools are majority minority No intensely segregated schools No apartheid schools

Racial Composition of Typical Student’s School, Maine,

Double Segregation by Race and Poverty Less than ½ of the students in Maine are low income More than ¾ of the students in majority minority schools are low income

Socioeconomic Composition of Typical Student’s School, Maine,

Key Findings, Maine Decreasing enrollment size Increasing racial diversity Very few segregated schools Black students are most segregated Double segregation by race and poverty

WHAT ABOUT PORTLAND AND LEWISTON?

Enrollment by Race, Portland Metro,

White Proportion in Metro Districts YARMOUTH98.6%98.3%94.2% CAPE ELIZABETH 97.8%98.1%93.2% RSU 15/ MSAD %98.0%94.8% FALMOUTH98.3%97.8%93.7% WESTBROOK97.4%96.0%86.2% GORHAM98.7%97.4%96.3% SOUTH PORTLAND 96.9%95.3%84.6% SCARBOROUGH99.5%98.3%94.7% PORTLAND90.5%84.8%64.8%

Enrollment by Race, Portland School District,

Segregated Schools, Portland Public Schools 4 elementary schools are majority minority 3 elementary schools are more than 75% white

Key Findings, Portland Metro enrollment is increasing in size Metro is slightly more diverse than the state Portland Public Schools is substantially more diverse than the state and the metro 4 of the state’s 5 majority minority schools are in Portland Public Schools

Enrollment by Race, Lewiston Public Schools,

Segregated Schools, Lewiston Public Schools 1 elementary school is majority minority 1 elementary school is almost majority minority 2 elementary schools are more than 75% white

Conclusions Racial diversity is increasing Current instances of segregation are modest and localized

HOW CAN MAINE PLAN FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY IN SCHOOLS?

Recommendations Include diversity goals in student assignment policies Work with housing agencies Adopt regional approaches Include civil rights standards with choice options Recruit, train, and hire diverse teaching staff Provide teacher training about diversity

THANK YOU Search for: Maine