Examines the problem of blacks practicing a self-imposed segregation in colleges and universities. The paper argues that self-segregation appears to be a defense mechanism to insulate black students from the harsh realities of institutional racism. (GR)

This article addresses shortcomings in the literature on environmental inequality by (a) setting forth and testing four models of environmental inequality and (b) explicitly linking environmental inequality research to spatial mismatch theory and to the debate on the declining significance of race. The explanatory models ask whether the…

The shared struggles facing urban and rural schools, such as changing cultural and linguistic classroom profiles, increased childhood poverty, and residential segregation patterns, influence financial inequities between people and communities thus contributing to gaps in academic achievement and teacher shortages in both settings. The…

Recently, reflections on the progress since the 1954 decision in "Brown v. Board of Education" and the challenges confronting those who believed in "Brown" occupy much of the author's daily thinking. Many of the current and recent past education problems and issues are connected generally and specifically to issues of school desegregation: (1)…

This article comments on leadership within mainstream literature on school effectiveness/improvement, where it is almost always considered to be a factor of change. The article argues that systemic school improvement, particularly for disadvantaged children, is inextricably linked to wider social, economic and political conditions--in South…

This paper considers the educational work that narrative does. Against the context of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission that examined the crimes of apartheid, it discusses the narrative implications of South African poet Antjie Krog's multi-layered text of Truth Commission testimony, and autobiographical and philosophical…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their students played a pivotal part in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and early 1960s. Private HBCUs, in particular, provided foot soldiers, intellectual leadership, and safe places to meet and plan civil disobedience. Their economic and political autonomy from the state enabled the…

Maintains that learning about the Holocaust (and other historical incidents) from the literature of survivors provides students with empathy and understanding not found in traditional historical texts. Recommends using this material prior to objective historical study and includes suggestions for teaching. Discusses the use of other Holocaust…

Examines the dilemma faced by black leaders who accepted delays in the full implementation of Brown v Board of Education to ensure that its mandates would be accomplished through additional litigation. It explores changing policy in school desegregation litigation, desegregation guidelines, new legal statutes and desegregation, and what the future…

Maintains that Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. fundamentally altered the tradition of protest and reform. Compares and contrasts the role of each man in U.S. social and constitutional history. Concludes that while Thoreau lacked the broad influence of King, his writings influenced both King and Mohandas Gandhi. (CFR)

In its most recent phase of return and reconciliation, autobiography of the Black south demonstrates the regaining of freedom on southern soil, an act of transcendence that transforms the previous scene of oppression into a sanctuary of beloved community. Examples of autobiographical works of reconciliation are reviewed. (SLD)

During middle childhood, children begin to navigate their own ways through societal structures, forming ideas about their individual talents and aspirations for the future. The ability to forge a positive pathway can have major implications for their success as adults. The pathways to success, however, may differ for children of diverse cultural,…

This article focuses on the basic idea that having equality and justice for all in schooling cannot be achieved in the current climate where students are viewed solely as individuals. In fact, given the educational debt and achievement gaps, the ideas of equality and justice are necessarily contradictory. Achieving justice, in light of the…

"Brown v. Board of Education" reminds this author, a linguist, of the linguistic diversity among black Americans, be they descendants of enslaved Africans--as he is proud to be--or Africans who escaped slavery. There is as much linguistic diversity among their race as among any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. When the…

Assesses the legacy of Brown v Board of Education and suggests the role and impact of this ruling on the future of American education and society at large. It concludes with a discussion of the lessons that school officials and advocates of integration and educational equality should keep in mind in their planning for the 21st century. (GR)