Commentary

Abstract

A lthough guided by powerful ideals of equal opportunity, American schools are deeply unequal. As historians of education have taught us, children of different racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds have traditionally attended different schools. As well, most reform efforts have had limited impact in eroding this pattern. Today, most American children continue to attend the ''catchment'' school where they live (Lareau & Goyette, 2014), and U.S. neighborhoods remain very inequitable (Bader & Warkentien, 2016; Sharkey, 2013). However, as Anna Rhodes and Siri Warkentien remind us in this issue of AERJ, the world is changing. While older, inner-ring suburbs are becoming racially integrated, the pattern of ''chocolate cities and vanilla suburbs'' is shifting. Recent research predicts that over a number of years approximately one-third of these integrated suburban neighborhoods will be transformed into racially segregated neighborhoods (often dominated by Latino/a residents), while others will maintain a level of integration (Bader & Warkentien, 2016). Conversely, some middle-class families are also moving ANNETTE LAREAU is the Stanley I.

Study of the School–Residence Spatial Relationship and the Characteristics of Travel-to-School Distance in Shenyang

“…Later, the focus group expanded from students to government education departments, schools, teachers, and other related groups. The research focused on the topics of the relationship between the layout of educational resources and residential differentiation [8], public housing and schooling [9], and community-school segregation [10][11][12]. Lange et al constructed a spatial index of educational opportunities by studying the educational needs of school-age children and the number of local schools in two large cities in Brazil [13].…”