The future of private Black colleges depends on public and private financial support to enable them to carry out their missions and establish programs of quality. The question should not be whether private Black colleges are needed, but whether the college is of such quality that it deserves support. (MLW)

This chapter traces the evolution of the concept of diversity in higher education, noting the real but slow progress in achieving greater inclusion. It highlights Harvard University's experiences, demonstrating why the goal of diversity remains so important to the actual quality and breadth of education for all students and why Harvard's existing…

A description of an intervention program designed to improve integration between Black and White high school students in presented here. The seven-session format is described. The program could be used by guidance counselors, teachers, churches, correctional officers, and others. Best results occur with no more than 30 participants and the program…

James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi 24 hours after Kennedy was inaugurated. His struggle, the efforts of the state to exclude him, and the delay tactics waged by Ole Miss are described. Escorted by federal marshals, Meredith eventually registered in October 1962. (SLD)

Explains that racial separation causes cultural separation, and the way to improve race relations is to continue to move toward integration. Discusses the need to debunk race, examining racial issues in education. Highlights the importance of actively supporting integration and opposing separatism, explaining that for there to be social progress,…

Superintendent John Murphy's plan to transform the Charlotte, North Carolina, schools hinged on empowering a panel of 10 distinguished educators to identify the elements of a world-class school system. The larger community contributed by attending separate day-long forums for principals and teachers, parents and concerned citizens, business and…

Discusses Tennessee's Highlander Folk School. Reports that the school helped organize labor unions and played a role in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. Explains that Highlander sought to bring about southern integration. Argues that successful civic education draws out the experiences and interests of participants and nurtures respect and…

Discusses the application of democratic and anti-racist educational principles in a college setting. Outlines an application of John Dewey's educational theory to college instruction. Applies Dewey's model to the teaching of anti-racism and readapts Deweyan principles to the task of reconstructing our classrooms as models of anti-racist…

Explores one southern community's response to the 1954 Brown decision, its subsequent handling of school desegregation, and events immediately following the decision, which provide a context for the 1980s decision to consolidate the community's middle school students to reduce perceptions of race-based inequality. Analyzes the current status of…

Presents the story of Charles Hamilton Houston, an African American legal scholar who led a crusade focused on equal educational opportunities and facilities for African American students. He used the courts to force Americans to listen to his message about racial subjugation, segregation, and lynch law. (SM)

Examines the use of art as a tool for advancement by Fisk University's first black president, Charles S. Johnson. Discusses how his art collection and cultural programs were used and their intended effect on students and campus life. Demonstrates how these programs helped build students' sense of identity and expand people's world views. (SM)

In light of the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling, this article focuses on how the majority opinion in Brown set a precedent for the use of social science research in defining and examining inequity in education. This article argues that following Brown, social science research has gained prominence in its social…

Many white students are barely exposed to African-American history throughout their schooling. When students do examine the other side of American history, the one not generally found in their textbooks, they often wonder why they have not learned this before. An understanding of African-American history is central to any effort to eliminate…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Charting a New Course toward Racial Integration: Districts Seek Legal Routes to Capture the Benefits of Diversity (Brigid Schulte); (2) Voluntary Integration: Two Views--(a)…

This essay examines the impact of the Brown decision on both the relative educational attainments and relative earnings of blacks and whites. On the basis of the available data, it argues that the Brown decision had a powerful effect on improving the economic status of blacks, although only a portion of that improvement was attained through more…