The LegiSchool Project of the California State Legislature and California State University conducts televised Town Meetings to provide a forum for dialogue about problems of interest in California education. This collection contains background readings and materials for the fifth of these Town Meetings, to be titled "Segregated Schools: Separate but Equal?" The following materials are selected to promote reflection and conversation: (1) Amendment XIV of the U.S. Constitution; (2) "Caught on the Wrong Side of the Line?" ("Los Angeles Times," July 13, 1995); (3) "Frustrated Blacks Dust Off the Concept of 'Separate but Equal'" ("Time Magazine," April 29, 1996); (4) "Integration Busing" ("Omaha World-Herald," July 14, 1996); (5) "Is Affirmative Action a Crime?" ("Sacramento Bee," April 18, 1996); (6) Letter to the Editor (F. E. Jordan, "San Francisco Examiner," May 21, 1996); (7) "California Suit Targets Minority Tutoring" (UPI, March 17, 1995); (8) "Community Colleges Alter Programs" ("San Francisco Chronicle," July 13, 1996); (9) "Mentoring Project for Latinos Threatened" ("Los Angeles Times," Ventura County Edition, June 11, 1996); (10) AB 3488 (Single Gender Academies Program Bill, July 22, 1996); (11) "Algebra Minus Boys" ("Sacramento Bee," March 24, 1996); (12) "Single-Sex Classes Are Going Public" ("Detroit News," February 22, 1996); (13) "A Room of Their Own" ("Newsweek," June 24, 1996); (14) Letters to the Editor ("Newsweek," July 15, 1996); (15) "Boys on the Side" ("U.S. News and World Report," August 5, 1996); (16) "Single Sex School Experimentation" (Richard Rothstein, January 17, 1996); (17) "Joining the Debate" ("Austin-American Statesman," July 15, 1996); and (18) Critical Thinking Questions. (SLD)