Black Students and Private Schooling. ERIC : CUE Trends and Issues Series, Number 4 / Carol Ascher.

The increasing number of black students in private schools has been stimulated partly by concern about the adequacy of the public schools; a desire by parents for greater choice about, and control over, their children's schooling; and a desire to find schools with values similar to their own. Private school efforts to draw minority students have also contributed to this shift. Contrary to the commonly held view that only middle class black families choose private schools for their children, a 1980 census shows that 100,000 black students from families living in poverty attend private schools, which is only slightly less than the number of all blacks enrolled in private schools. Furthermore, a growing percentage of minority students pay full tuition. Several major studies of the 1980s indicate higher standardized achievement test scores of black students in private schools than those in public schools; however, a variety of other factors, particularly socioeconomic status, limit the comparability of data. The qualilty of education varies, although factors such as the level of teacher training, years of teaching experience, and the materials available appear to decrease as the number of black students increase. The level of desegregation appears to be decreasing in private schools: the number of black teachers has not increased with minority enrollments and many inner city private schools are becoming increasingly segregated (predominantly black). A four-page list of references concludes the document. (ETS)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.