Forced to fail : the paradox of school desegregation / Stephen J. Caldas and Carl L. Bankston III.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [221]-247) and index.

Ch. 1. School desegregation : a policy in crisis -- Ch. 2. How did we get here? -- Ch. 3. The demographic transformation of America -- Ch. 4. It takes a "certain kind of" village to raise a child -- Ch. 5. The political economy of education and equality of educational opportunity -- Ch. 6. Rational self-interest versus irrational government policy -- Ch. 7. School desegregation and the racial achievement gap -- Ch. 8. A new perspective on race and schooling : attaining the dream.

"Caldas and Bankston provide a critical, dispassionate analysis of why desegregation in the United States has failed to achieve the goal of providing equal educational opportunities for all students. They offer case histories through dozens of examples of failed desegregation plans from all over the country. The book takes a very broad perspective on race and education, situated in the larger context of the development of individual rights in Western civilization." "The book traces the long legal history of first racial segregation, and then racial desegregation in America. The authors explain how rapidly changing demographics and family structure in the United States have greatly complicated the project of top-down government efforts to achieve an "ideal" racial balance in schools. It describes how social capital - a positive outcome of social interaction between and among parents, children, and teachers - creates strong bonds that lead to high academic achievement."--BOOK JACKET.