What was the nature of the system of grouping students used in the Washington public schools and on what basis were the children assigned to the various groups?

answer:

analysis:

How were Washington élementary school children selected and placed in the honors track?

answer:

The data show that in 1966, the Washington public school administration selected and placed the elementary school children in the honors track primarily on the basis of race.

analysis:

Chart 6 shows the percentages by race of elementary school chil-
dren in the schools with honors tracks for the school year 1965-66.
According to the data, 70% of the White children in the public
elementary schools at that time were in schools with honors tracks,
while only 16% of the Black children were in schools with honors
tracks.

An overwhelming majority of the Black elementary school children
(84%) were confined to the two lowest tracks, basic and general,
and attended schools which did not have honors tracks. Only 30%
of the White children were so situated.

Are regular text books distributed equally among elementary students in the Washington public schools?

answer:

Data published by the school administration indicate that in 1969 there was an unfair distribution of
books among the elementary school children.

analysis:

Chart 7 shows the 15 lowest and the 15 highest elementary schools
in Washington ranked according to the average number of text
books per pupil in 1969. Library books were not counted in this
survey.

In the 15 lowest schools, the average number of text books per
pupil ranged from a low of 4 at the Slowe Elementary School to a
high of only 10 at the Langdon Elementary School. Among the 15
highest schools, Mann Elementary School ranked low with 21
books per pupil, and the Seaton Elementary School registered a
high of 28 books per pupil. Measured in percentages, the data
show that the Seaton Elementary School provided each child with
an average of 85.7% more books in 1969 than did the Slowe Ele-
mentary School.

In requesting this data, we also asked for a numerical breakdown
of textbooks by date of publication. Although not reflected on the
chart and data revealed not only a surprisingly unequal distribu-
tion of books, but also the fact that 55.8% of textbooks in all ele-
mentary schools were more than five years old. In a primarily
Black community, this gap can become a serious barrier to learn-
ing since few books published prior to 1965 even mentioned the
existence of Black Americans.

Although the number of books per pupil does not alone predict
reading ability, it can be another useful indicator of individual
school inequities and curriculum priorities (i.e. one school on
Chart 7 reported 154 dictionaries and 10 literature books for 944
students; another listed only 622 mathematics books for a total
of 1,441 students).