Great Equalizers or Conduits of Neighborhood Social
Disorganization? A Counterfactual Analysis of Year-Round and
Traditional-Year Schooling.
AASD Brown Bag with Dr.
Odis Johnson Jr.
The social function of schooling in the U.S. is an unsettled
issue. Persistent racial, SES and residential disparities in test-scores
suggest schools fall short in serving as society’s great equalizers. Despite
seemingly intractable educational differences, research has produced evidence
that schools function to reduce racial gaps in test-scores. However, these
studies rarely consider the qualities of children’s neighborhoods as
contributors to educational stratification, or use counterfactual modeling to
strengthen causal inferences. Conversely, Dr. Odis Johnson’s study concludes
that schools may be greater equalizers according to race than previously
thought, but simultaneously serve as conduits of neighborhood social
disorganization’s relatively large stratifying effects.
Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Location: 1126 Taliaferro Hall
College Park, MD 20742
Time: noon-1:00pm
Light Refreshments will be served!
