Doris Y.Wilkinson

In the following viewpoint, Doris Y. Wilkinson argues that legally enforced public school integration has resulted in increased discrimination against African American students. Citing the observations of two experienced teachers who work at desegregated schools, Wilkinson asserts that integration creates racially divisive school environments. These integrated schools do not meet the academic, social, or cultural needs of black students, she concludes. Wilkinson, a sociology professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, has written extensively on race and ethnic group relations.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to one of the teachers Wilkinson cites, why do black students engage in “attention-seeking behavior”"
2. How has forced integration affected the experiences of black students in the 1990s, in the author’s opinion"
3. In what ways were segregated schools healthier for black students, according to Wilkinson"

With...