| dc.description.abstract |
Using data from four high schools in North Carolina, this study examines the impact
of growth in Latino enrollment since 2000 on interracial interaction in cafeterias,
extracurricular activities, and classrooms. From 1990-2000 North Carolina’s Latino
population increased by 394 percent. Since that time student populations across the
state have continued to grow more diverse. Gordon Allport’s Contact Theory asserts
that under certain circumstances increased interaction between students from different
backgrounds positively influences achievement and tolerance. However, as student diversity
has increased, many North Carolina schools have demonstrated a trend towards increasing
segregation. Of the four schools considered in this paper, those with increasing Latino
enrollment tend to exhibit increasing exposure rates between black and white students,
while those with small and relatively constant Latino enrollment tend to demonstrate
decreasing exposure rates between black and white students. Dynamics of interracial
interaction are highly complex, but this study’s results suggest that greater student
participation in structured programs encourages interracial contact and effectively
reduces segregation at schools with diverse student populations.
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