A brief survey of several comprehensive reviews of studies of the effects of desegregation on black achievement makes it clear that the experts are still in disagreement, and it is in the hope of finally bringing about a consensus on the subject that the National Institute of Education (NIE) has established a representative panel of experts to review the evidence and pass judgment on this issue. The 19 studies selected for review and analysis by the NIE panel did not include cross-sectional studies or longitudinal studies without a control group; all the selected studies fulfilled a quasi-experimental design, with pre- and post-tests as well as a segregated control group. Analysis of the studies in terms of each reseacher's own significant tests and the meta-analysis technique employed by the NIE panel shows no significant and consistent effects of desegregation on black achievement. There is virtually no effect for math achievement. For reading, the best that can be said is that only a handful of grade levels show substantial positive effects, while the large majority of grade levels show small and inconsistent effects that average out to almost zero. The fact that only a small fraction of these studies show substantial effects strongly suggest that factors other than desegregation are the real causes of the large achievement gains that are documented. (CMG)