The Social-Economic Background of Negro Youth in California

Abstract

THIS STUDY IS concerned with the social and economic backgrounds and needs of Negro high school youth in California. Early in the inves tigation it became apparent that two groups of Negro youth must be planned for in any attempt to meet their special problems and needs; first, the children from long-established Negro homes; and second, migrant children who arrived in California after December 7, 1941. Five centers of population were selected for this investigation; San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Pasadena and San Diego. The investigation attempts to do two things. First, an attempt was made to determine the manner and extent of the high school contribu tions to the personal, social and economic development of both the mi grant and native youth in California. Second, an attempt was made to determine basic social and economic needs as revealed in two widely differing surveys, ? the professional opinions of Negro high school ad ministrators throughout the South and the actual high school situations of groups of typical tenth-grade Negro students in California high schools.