Demographic and Social Composition

Abstract

This chapter explores the social and demographic composition of studentries, and several other characteristics of schools—tied primarily to desegregation efforts—that are plausibly related to school disruption. These seemingly diverse school characteristics are examined together because they may all be viewed as beyond the control of the school. This appears to be a tenable assumption at present, although one can imagine specific cases in which it might not be true. In general, schools must cope with, educate, manage, minister to, and interact with the kinds of students allocated to them; and desegregation and busing are also events that are in some sense imposed on the schools.