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Individual and regional differences in the effects of school racial segregation on Black students’ health
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Individual and regional differences in the effects of school racial segregation on Black students’ health

Gabriel L. Schwartz, Guangyi Wang, Min Hee Kim, M. Maria Glymour, Justin S. White, Daniel Collin and Rita Hamad
SSM - population health, v 26, 101681
Jun 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101681
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101681View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Schools Segregation Social determinants of health Social epidemiology Structural racism United States
School racial segregation in the US has risen steadily since the 1990s, propelled by Supreme Court decisions rolling back the legacy of Brown v. Board. Quasi-experimental research has shown this resegregation harms Black students' health. However, whether individual or family characteristics (e.g., higher family incomes) are protective against segregation's health harms—or whether segregation is more damaging in regions of the US with fewer public sector investments—remains unclear. We leverage the quasi-random timing of school districts being released from Brown-era integration plans to examine heterogeneity in the association between resegregation and Black students' health. We took an instrumental variables approach, using the timing of integration order releases as an instrument for school segregation and analyzing a pre-specified list of theoretically-motivated modifiers in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. In sensitivity analyses, we fit OLS models that directly adjusted for relevant covariates. Results suggest resegregation may have been particularly harmful in the South, where districts resegregated more quickly after order releases. We find little evidence that the effects of school segregation differed across family income, gender, or age. The end of court-ordered integration threatens the health of Black communities—especially in the US South. Modestly higher incomes do not appear protective against school segregation's harms. Research using larger samples and alternative measures of school segregation—e.g., between districts, instead of within districts—may further our understanding of segregation's health effects, especially in Northern states. • Past research suggests school segregation harms Black US Americans' health. • We examine potential effect heterogeneity by region, household income, gender, age. • Using IV models, we find stronger evidence for health effects in Southern states. • Little evidence that modestly higher family incomes protected against health harms. • Larger samples and richer segregation measures are needed to study all regions.

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2 citations in Web of Science
2 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#10 Reduced Inequalities

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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