“Chocolate city,vanilla suburbs:” Will the trend toward racially separate communities continue?

Almost a decade ago, the Kerner Commission warned that this country was moving toward two societies—one white and one black. Data on residential segregation indicate clear-cut boundaries for these two societies—large cities are becoming black but most suburban areas remain white. Detroit is a case in point and this led the 1976 Detroit Area Study to investigate the sources of racial residential segregation. Our approach was guided by three hypothesized causes of this segregation: (i) the economic status of blacks, (ii) the preference of blacks to be with their own kind, and (iii) the resistance of whites to residential integration. We developed several new measurement techniques and found that most evidence supported the third hypothesis. Blacks in the Detroit area can afford suburban housing and both blacks and whites are quite knowledgable about the housing market. Most black respondents expressed a preference for mixed neighborhoods and are willing to enter such areas. Whites, on the other hand, are reluctant to remain in neighborhoods where blacks are moving in and will not buy homes in already integrated areas. This last result has been overlooked by traditional measures of white attitudes toward residential integration but emerges clearly with the new measure.     

Racial inequalities in housing: An examiation of recent trends

Changes in racial differences in homeownership and objective indicators of housing quality are examined using 1960 Census data and 1977 Annual Housing Survey data. Blacks, net of differences in socioeconomic status, family composition, and regional-metropolitan location, remained less likely than whites to own homes and somewhat more likely to live in older, crowded and structurally inadequate units in 1977. In general, however, net effects for race were much smaller in 1977 than in 1960. Racial differences in homeownership and crowding were smaller among recent movers than among the total sample in 1977, suggesting continued but gradual improvement in housing conditions for blacks in the latter 1970s.     

The impact of influenza vaccination on respiratory illness at a boarding school.

We studied the impact of influenza vaccine during an outbreak of influenza at a 989-student boarding school in January to March, 1989. By February 6, 120 (17%) of 690 students completing survey questionnaires had been ill with fever and respiratory symptoms. Eighty-seven students had received influenza vaccine in the previous 18 months; these students had an attack rate half that of the unvaccinated students (9% v 19%; vaccine efficacy = 50%, confidence interval = 0%-70%). We estimate that, if the entire student body had been vaccinated, influenza-like illness could have been prevented in 162 students (16% of the school), and that preventing this illness could have avoided at least 482 student-days of missed classes, or approximately one student-day for each 1.8 additional doses of vaccine given. This study suggests that, when feasible, a broad influenza immunization policy for healthy students at residential schools should substantially decrease the disruption of school activities caused by influenza.     

Justifying conclusions in naturalistic evaluations: A critical perspective

This article examines the assumptions underlying the naturalistic perspective for evaluation that deal with justifying evaluative claims and conclusions. The author argues that ultimately these assumptions are inadequate and provides an alternative perspective for use in evaluation research and practice. The alternative, critical evaluation, is presented as attending to demands for empirical, practical, and normative adequacy in generating evaluative explanation and critique.     

CONTESTING OUR EVERYDAY WORK LIVES: The Retention of Minority and Working-Class Sociology Undergraduates

Efforts to improve retention and graduation among minority students have been commonplace in higher education, but few such efforts have been undertaken in sociology. In this presidential address, I document that in sociology, as in other disciplines, disproportionate numbers of African American and Latino/a students do not graduate. I examine sociological research on the barriers to success that face students of color in predominantly white colleges, and on what can be done to help overcome these barriers. An example of a successful program to increase the graduation rates of minority and working-class students in sociology is discussed, and the sociological discipline is challenged to use its knowledge and insights to help improve opportunities for minority and working-class students in sociology.     

The 1960s: A decade of progress for blacks?

Between 1960 and 1970 blacks, as well as whites, improved their socioeconomic status. Among both races, educational attainment increased, the occupational distribution was upgraded, and real purchasing power rose markedly. In almost every comparison, the gains were somewhat greater among blacks than among whites and thus most indicators of racial differentiation declined. Nevertheless, the changes of this decade failed to eliminate racial differences with regard to socioeconomic status. In all comparisons, except for the income of certain groups of women, blacks were at a disadvantage when compared to whites both at the start and at the end of this decade, and very large racial differences remain. Further socioeconomic progress by blacks during the 1970s will probably not eliminate racial differences. The article concludes by relating the socioeconomic trends to such other aspects of race relations as integration, governmental policy, and the attitudes of whites and blacks.     

Family developmental task assessment: A prerequisite to family treatment

This paper presents a developmental framework for assessing family function. It integrates family systems theory and ego psychological knowledge of growth. The framework organizes family information along four developmental lines, and a socio-biological stressor scale. Although this paper is only a beginning conceptualization and outline, it is hoped that with further study it can lead to family diagnosis and more definitive family treatment.