What Integration Looks Like in 2010

A few days ago, I was volunteering with an event for our district's elementary and middle schoolers. out of at least 200 kids there, only 5 or 6 were African American and at least 90 percent (most likely above 95) were white. I realize that this may not be a completely representative sample of the population, but our district is phasing out integration programs and almost everyone IS white. A big idealist part of me would like to see integration reemerge at my school and around the country. I could go on all day about how diversity is vital to students. It teaches them how to interact with those who are different from them and prepares them for the world outside their subdivision. The idea of bringing in students who come from a different area and are of a different race is such a great idea. There is another side of me that wonders how effective integration by busing really is. Busing often adds an extra 2 hours commute to a student's day. This is time they could spend studying and participating in activities. Instead, they are on a bus. To me, that seems like a very unfair situation to put kids into. I am also beginning to question how effective integration is at creating diversity. From what I see, there are clear racial groups at my school. There are groups of African American students and groups of white students without much mixing. Is this really the diversity that we want? Students also miss the community that comes with living within the boundaries of their school district.

Integration cannot continue how it is now. Busing students from one area to another does not solve the lack of diversity. True diversity is more than quotas. To truly bring our system beyond the quotas, programs need to be put into place that encourage interaction between different ethnic groups and teachers need to learn how to foster diversity and meet the needs of their minority students. This still doesn't solve the two hours bus rides that are taxing on students. In all honesty, I'm not all that sure how to fix the problem. According to the courts, integration isn't all that necessary anymore. I certainly don't agree, but maybe they have a point that the way we integrate now is not the right way.