Pressed on cross-examination to explain why he didn't believe social interaction outside of school was beneficial, Dr. Crain was asked if he thought taking black children to a shopping mall to see white children or going to a movie theatre, "rubbing elbows at the candy counter, wasn't beneficial." Defense counsel then suggested that such contacts might be beneficial to blacks to "allow them to become socially acceptable when they ... get out of school." (R. VII, 1093)
Golkonda High School Movie 74
While the evidence established a substantial increase in parent participation in PTA-PTO, there was conflicting evidence on whether the District itself increased its commitment to generating parent involvement in the schools when neighborhood schools were reinstituted; how and what records were maintained to document parent participation prior to 1985; and what factors contributed to lack of parent participation--negative attitudes toward the schools, economics, etc. We are troubled by the nature of some of the evidence on which the court relied. For example, when asked about the decline in parental involvement in the schools prior to the 1970's and early 1980's, Dr. Betty Mason, the assistant superintendent of high schools, responded, "Again I have to give you the benefit of the discussions I have had with persons in the district as well as some of the readings that I have done...." (R. V, 610). When plaintiffs' objected to the testimony about to be elicited, the court overruled the objection on the ground that the statements were not hearsay but "important evidence for both sides." (R. V, 610-11)
In our analysis, we have declined to mire the legal issues with extensive examination of the conflicting evidence on the question of the effect of integration on student achievement. The dissent wades into this area, citing the testimony of Dr. Sampson, the Board's rebuttal witness, who had compared the achievement of blacks at six all-black parochial schools in the Chicago area to that of black students at Chicago public high schools. Based on this study, Dr. Sampson was asked if black students must be in a classroom with white students to learn effectively. He responded that an "effective schools program" and a dedication to education encompassed by positive socioeconomic conditions assured black student achievement. When asked on cross-examination if intentional segregation of the public schools is harmful, Dr. Sampson responded that it didn't have to be and certainly wasn't for those blacks going to the parochial schools he studied in Chicago. Who could disagree when we compare a self-selected private parochial school setting to a large urban public school. The court, however, used this evidence, comparing the 65% dropout rate of Chicago public high schools to the 80-90% rate of these parochial students who then attend college, to conclude "the racial composition of a school has absolutely no effect on the academic achievement of its students." 677 F. Supp. at 1524. Although we remain uncertain what this testimony was intended to rebut in the first instance, we are certain it cannot represent evidence of the District's commitment to maintain a unitary system
This court took a slightly different approach to determining minority concentration in the elementary schools and concluded that 46.2% of the black K-4 elementary students attend a 90% + black school. Court's Opinion at 1497. The court's slightly higher 46.2% concentration figure is different than mine (43.8%) for two reasons. First, the court used the 1985-86 student enrollment data, pl. ex. 26, reproduced in Appellants' Addendum to Brief at 180-81; I used the 1986-87 data contained in pl. ex. 27, reproduced in Appellants' Addendum to Brief at 187-91, and the above table contains the 1986-87 data. Second, the court did not include the K-4 portion of the K-5 schools; I did. Had I followed the court's method with the 1986-87 data and not included the K-4 students which attend K-5 schools, the concentration figure would be 46.3% (2954/6387), meaning that 46.3% of the black K-4 elementary students attended a 90% + black K-5 school.
The dissimilarity index and the exposure index measure the degree of integration in a school system. Dowell, 677 F. Supp. at 1508. There is an inverse relationship between the degree of integration and the value of the dissimilarity index; the higher the dissimilarity index, the lower the degree of integration. Conversely, there is a direct relationship between the degree of integration and the exposure index; the higher the exposure index, the higher the degree of integration
See rec. vol. III at 339 (Dr. Biscoe indicated that " [a]ll of the data that we currently have indicates that parent involvement has increased significantly" under the operation of the plan.); id. at 350, 354 (Board member Hermes (1980-present) testified that PTA units increased from 15 to nearly 50 with the enactment of the plan; opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities is greater under plan); vol. IV at 429, 435 (Board member Dr. Muse (1982-86) testified that the plan increased community involvement and support, which was one of the purposes of enacting it); id. at 516-20, 26 (Board president Mrs. Hill (1976 to present) testified about unsuccessful attempts to increase elementary parent involvement before implementation of neighborhood plan; school board sought to increase parental involvement); vol. V at 629-30 (Mr. Owens, a black parent in the northeast quadrant supported neighborhood plan; noted increased parental involvement with plan); id. at 639-43, 650-51 (Dr. White, a black parent, favored neighborhood plan because increased parental involvement expected; Dr. White formed coalition and collected 400 signatures in northeast quadrant in favor of plan); id. at 736-37 (Dr. Steller, school superintendent, testified that with the return of neighborhood schools parents were much more willing to participate in PTA, parent conferences and open houses); id. at 775-76 (Karen Leveridge, former local, state and national officer in PTA, testified that implementation of the neighborhood plan was one of the major reasons responsible for increased PTA participation); id. at 790-91 (Odette Scobey, principal of Truman Elementary with 27 years service, testified that parents have become more involved in helping in the classroom and attending parent conferences since the neighborhood plan was implemented); rec. vol. VI at 853-55 (Robert Brown, principal of Martin Luther King Elementary, testified that parental involvement and support has increased since the enactment of the neighborhood plan); id. at 863 (Billie Oldham, district-wide PTA council president who organized new PTA units testified that she saw a great increase in parental involvement with the neighborhood plan); contra rec. vol. IX at 1413-14 (Clara Luper, high school teacher and NAACP Youth Adviser, testified that only 8 parents attended the Longfellow PTA meeting when she was a guest and that Harrison Elementary had "a very effective PTA," but that it was "mixed in with school activities."); id. at 1434 (Senator Porter, NAACP President, hearsay concerning effective functioning of PTA's under 1972 plan)
"The most important characteristics of effective schools are strong instructional leadership, a safe and orderly climate, school-wide emphasis on basic skills, high teacher expectations for student achievement, and continuous assessment of pupil progress." U.S. Dep't of Education, What Works-Research About Teaching and Learning 45 (1986). Dr. Hughes testified that effective schools techniques are being implemented successfully in the Oklahoma City elementary schools. Rec. vol. V at 685-88 2ff7e9595c
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