But busing did increase integration. Despite the turmoil, some children now say they benefited.
Clarence Johnson, left, serves lunch to her son, Clarence Jr., 11, center, and David Pyle, 11, on March 10, 1969. The boys were sixth-graders at Hallett Elementary School, and had become friends as a result of Denver's voluntary busing program. Jewel Carreathers welcomes her second-grade pupils to the classroom at Stedman Elementary School on Jan. 31, 1972.
Fifth-grader Ronald Sampson, left, and his classmates cut out and paste monograms during a class session at Fallis Elementary School on Nov. 26, 1974. Now the father of two kids, Lefkowits and his wife lived in the boundary for the predominantly white Park Hill Elementary, a school bursting at the seams with nearly 700 students and where the PTA raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
Stedman began integrating after adding a Spanish language immersion program that attracted white families who want their children to become bilingual.
Great. The kids can’t read, write, or pass arithmetic at grade level. Focus on what’s important. You are failing these children. “22% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 27% scored at or above that level for reading.”