A study of disparities among school facilities in North Carolina: Effects of race and economic status

This study examines the relationship between the physical state of elementary school facilities and the proportion of low-income and African American children attending schools. It is hypothesized that as the proportion of low-income or Black children attending schools increases, the quality of school buildings decreases. Using data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, this hypothesis is tested by means of a regression model on three levels: statewide, intradistrict, and interdistrict. Findings suggest that as the proportion of low-income students increases (other things being equal) the condition of facilities worsens This is the case for all three types of analysis, However, as the proportion of Black students increases, the condition of facilities appears to improve modestly, If schools cannot provide students with sufficient technological support or facilities for instruction and services, they may not be providing even a roughly equal opportunity for all students to learn.... Far from the high-tech world of interactive media and virtual reality, many of our schools are wired for no more than filmstrip projectors.