Professor of sociology and education Amy Stuart Wells noted what some might consider a disappointing trend among U.S. schools. "We're becoming a much more diverse society ... and yet our schools are more segregated than they were 20 or 30 years ago," she said.

Wells led a study of 1980 high school graduates who recounted their experiences in racially diverse schools. According to her findings, a "silent majority" of these individuals, now in their 40s, reported their desegregated schools made them more tolerant of other races.

The article, entitled "Diverse Schools," appeared in the May 17 edition of the Coshocton Tribune.

Published Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004