School segregation at highest level in decades
The legal segregation of U.S. public schools was supposedly halted in 1954 by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. But according to a January report released by the Civil Rights Project, school segregation is now at the highest level in four decades.
The study, titled “Reviving the Goal of an Integrated Society: A 21st Century Challenge,” [960K PDF] concludes that the election of the first African American president does not indicate that the United States has become a “post-racial” society. Rather, it argues against the notion that things are progressing in the right direction, especially in light of the harsh reality of race relations in public education.
The 1954 Supreme Court decision concluded that Southern segregation was “inherently unequal” and did “irreversible” harm to Black students. In an education system segregated by race, poverty and language, most Black and Latino students do not receive opportunities equal to their white counterparts. The U.S. Department of Education states, “Poverty poses a serious challenge to children’s access to quality learning opportunities and their potential to succeed in school.”
Institutionalized racism has effectively replaced the Jim Crow laws of the post-Reconstruction period as the basis for continued segregation. Although there have been significant reforms, mostly won during the Civil Rights movement, these victories have been eroded by reactionary court decisions and racist political leadership from elected officials.
The advocates for the very expensive bussing programs silenced critics by claiming racism.New buildings were built,consultant programs were purchased,very little was published regarding success or the monitary costs of success.Maybe the self rightious have run out of costly and useless programs and may be ready to listen to how some programs have worked and what they cost?One program that seems to do some good is the one on one mentor/coaching program we have in Madison.
If we want to raise reading levels,math levels etc,thats what we need to target,we got so lost in documenting gender and color that the goals were to get the same mix in the classroom,school,field as the statistical mix of the population. ie 55% of Law School be female etc,Somehow getting the politically correct racial mix in one of our middle school was the goal to which we bought,services and staffed hundreds of busses.Our students had long bus rides to schools,didnt lose any weight walking to school either.Maybe something worked because we got Obama in the Whitehouse but I think his mom and grandparents may have showed us how we can give our time to help kids.