In the fall of 1953, the Supreme Court of the United States received the case of "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" (347 U.S. 483, 1954) that raised essential questions, including whether separate but "equal" facilities in education can be provided for black students in the United States or whether the consideration of…

Efforts to desegregate schools since the 1954 "Brown" decision have only partly succeeded. Racial and economic segregation still limits minority and poor children's educational opportunities. A new educational civil rights movement must replace authoritarian, antidemocratic standards and tests with diverse schools, staff, pedagogies,…

Project Head Start was created during the heady, idealistic days of the mid-1960s. The idea for Head Start, a preschool program for disadvantaged children, emerged from the observation that, on average, poor and minority children arrive at school already behind their peers in the intellectual skills and abilities required for academic achievement.…

On April 10, 1994, The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University's School of Education sponsored its third conference on the impact of the famous "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" decision. Fourteen discussion groups analyzed the following questions: What was the promise of "Brown," and has that…

This thesis examines the influence of tensions between collectivism and pluralism on constrictions and extensions of the legal concept of equality of educational opportunity in public education since the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954. The effects of collectivistic and pluralistic forces at the federal, state and district levels are…

This paper examines the major social science contributions to racial balance as a policy alternative to the unequal educational opportunity suffered by Afro-Americans. It is argued that, although the policy is considered by advocates and the courts to be a remedy for discrimination, it is in fact a continuation of white dominance, or racism. It is…

This book focuses on the legal and ideological controversy over the application of affirmative action policy to combat discrimination based on race, national origin/ethnicity, and gender. After the introduction, seven chapters discuss (2) "The Roots of Affirmative Action, the Women's Movement, and the Groups Covered by Affirmative…

"Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" (1954) ("Brown I"), is the United States Supreme Court's most significant ruling on education, if not of all time. In "Brown I", the Court unanimously held that "de jure" racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth…

Discusses sociological contributions to understanding black and white inequality in education. Outlines political, cultural, and ideological perspectives on black-white inequality that guide empirical research about access to schooling, educational opportunities in schools, and outcomes of schooling. Relates these perspectives to educational…

On May 17, 2004, our nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of a landmark decision, Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This U.S. Supreme Court decision was an impressive unanimous vote. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine of "Plessy v Ferguson" that the Court had…

This report covers the activities of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2003. In addition to describing OCR's civil rights compliance program, the report demonstrates how OCR is able to make a real difference in the lives of students. 2004 marks a special year in America's…

Language minority students are legally entitled to a baseline opportunity for an adequate, affirmative, appropriate, and effective education, allowing them an "equally fair shot" at a high school diploma. Certain absolute legal standards for this baseline educational entitlement are posited to exist; this claim is supported by…

2004 was a special year in America's longstanding efforts to provide equal educational opportunity for all people. It marked the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in "Brown v. Board of Education", which declared racially segregated schools to be unconstitutional. 2004 also marked the 40th Anniversary of the…