Desegregation works. That was the major conclusion of a report the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued last August. The $2.3 million study (TIME, Sept. 6) declared that despite headlines about busing violence, 82% of the nation's school districts have desegregated without serious disruption, and only 10% report any decline in the levels of education. A pleased Commission Chairman Arthur Flemming stated: "We are prepared to debate the soundness of this conclusion with anyone."
Just such a debate is now taking place within Flemming's own organization. Researcher Duane Lindstrom of the commission's Midwest regional office has resigned in protest against what he...