ABSTRACT
Despite strong resistance by whites to Negro demands for equal rights, it is clear that the basic trend in (American) race relations is towards the elimination of discriminatory practices. Employment opportunities for nonwhite minority groups will no doubt continue to expand in commerce, industry, and the professions, as well as in government service. However, as Negroes are integrated into the American system they will increasingly have to perform complex tasks in situations of face-to-face interaction, and comparison, with whites. To a significant extent, the upward mobility of blacks will depend upon their ability to function effectively in these racially mixed settings. This is important because of the strong influence, both favourable and detrimental, that such face-to-face situations have been shown to have on Negro performance. In the field of education, for example, recent research suggests that Negro pupils learn better, on the whole, when a majority of their classmates is white rather than black, (Coleman et al., ), though the achievement of Negroes shows more variability in the predominantly white classroom. When different desegregated schools are compared, the academic achievement of black pupils is found to be related to what has been called the quality of the interracial social climate, as indicated by teachers' reports of interracial tension. In schools where most teachers report no tension, Negro students are more proficient, more interested in attending college, and more optimistic about being rewarded for their efforts to learn.
