Creating the Suburban School Advantage: Race, Localism, and Inequality in an American Metropolis

Creating the Suburban School Advantage explains how American suburban school districts gained a competitive edge over their urban counterparts. John L. Rury provides a national overview of the process, focusing on the period between 1950 and 1980, and presents a detailed study of metropolitan Kansas City, a region representative of trends elsewhere.

While big-city districts once were widely seen as superior and attracted families seeking the best educational opportunities for their children,...