Race and Education: A Look at the American Education System

Newswise — Race as social concept is very real in its consequences, especially within American society's education system where racial and ethnic segregation still persists. A press briefing at the American Sociological Association's (ASA) Annual Meeting will discuss the meaning of race within the education system, the importance of surveying race, the effects of persisting segregation, and the racial policy implications of programs such as vouchers.

Three sociologists (Caroline Hodges Persell, Roslyn Mickelson, and Pamela Barnhouse Walters) will present their findings on the relationship between race/ethnicity and education. Persell will discuss the comparative education systems between the United States and other nation's education policies and the importance of understanding the history of social relationships based on race. Mickelson will discuss how segregation contributes to the black-white race gap in SAT scores. Walters will the politics of the current school reform movements (i.e., vouchers and funding equalization) intended to create greater equality in American elementary and secondary education.

What: Press briefing discussing the relationship between race and ethnicity within America's current education system.

Who: William T. Bielby, University of California-Santa Barbara and ASA President (moderator); Caroline Hodges Persell, New York University; Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; Pamela Barnhouse Walters, Indiana University.

When: Monday, August 18, 2003; 2:30-3:30 PM

Where: Paulding Room, 2nd Floor, Atlanta Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, GA

For more information:

Journalists are invited to attend Annual Meeting events August 16-19. Press facilities will be located in the Cherokee Room at the Hilton Atlanta (hotel general tel. number is 404-659-2000).

The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing the field of sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. With approximately 13,000 members, ASA serves sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students.