Findings
An analysis of race and poverty trends in Miami-area elementary schools between 1993
and 2001 reveals that:
- The elementary school student population
in the Miami metropolitan area
is growing rapidly, but the growth is
very unbalanced. Regionwide, enrollment
increased by 22 percent between
1993 and 2001. Miami-Dade County's
elementary enrollment grew by 15 percent,
while Broward County's
enrollment grew by 35 percent. But
some outlying communities in the
region saw much faster growth—in
some cases as high as 85 percent.
- The region's two school districts
became poorer over this period, and
the degree of income segregation
worsened. The number of low-income
students in the Miami region grew 33
percent between 1993 and 2001. By
2001, 51 percent of the region's total
elementary students were eligible for
free lunches, up from 47 percent in
1993. Poor students were also more
likely to attend school with other poor
students at the end of the period. The
share of students who would have had
to change schools to achieve an identical
mix of poor and non-poor students
in each building edged up two percentage
points, to 51 percent.
- As the region's schools became more
diverse, racial segregation eased
slightly but remained severe. Miami-area
students became a more diverse group between 1993 and 2001. Hispanic
enrollment grew by 57 percent
and black enrollment grew by 17 percent,
while white enrollment decreased
by 10 percent. Growth patterns contributed
to lingering segregation.
Approximately two-thirds of the growth
in Hispanic enrollment was in Miami-Dade County schools, while nearly all
of the growth in black enrollment took
place in Broward County. The number
of white students held steady in
Broward and declined 29 percent in
Miami-Dade.
- The region's most dramatic social
changes are taking place in the suburbs.
While still at alarming levels,
poverty and segregation rates in the
central city are stabilizing. The most
dramatic social changes are taking place
in inner suburban communities, which
often must address growing need with
dwindling fiscal resources.
The concentration of poor and minority
students in a particular school can fuel
the flight of middle-class families from the
surrounding neighborhood. These changes
contribute to a vicious cycle of sprawl and
disinvestment from existing communities.
To help reverse some of these patterns,
state and local leaders should explore
reforms in land use, taxes, and regional
governance.