The Distribution of Educational Resources in Large American Cities

Abstract

Educational resources are distributed unequally within large American cities, with poor and nonwhite neighborhoods receiving less than their share. An empirical analysis of data for nine large cities shows that teacher salary expenditures per pupil are lower in low-income and non-white neighborhoods, and that the level of both teacher experience and verbal ability is also lower there. Much of this inequality can be explained by the teacher assignment system: a single city-wide salary schedule, the allocation of attractive teaching posts to the most experienced teachers, and, in some cities, informal pressures that are exerted to keep black teachers in black schools.