The African American Struggle for Secondary Schooling, 1940-1980: Closing the Graduation Gap

The African American Struggle for Secondary Schooling is a comprehensive account of the historical efforts of African Americans to secure access to high school education in the post-war era.

Drawing on quantitative datasets, oral history, and archival research, this book provides a nuanced understanding of how intraracial factors affected attendance within racial groups and how regional variations in high school attendance across the United States impacted educational outcomes.

The authors explore the larger social historical context, including the national high school revolution, civil rights movement, campaigns to expand schooling, and Black migration northward.

The book concludes with an examination of desegregation and the "urban crisis" of the 1960s and 1970s that accelerated "White flight" and funding problems for urban school systems.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex social and historical factors that have shaped the educational experiences of African Americans.