This chapter reflects on the civil rights movement and affirmative action at the University of Virginia from the 1960s to 1999, when affirmative action was challenged by people claiming that it discriminated against new groups. It describes how affirmative action changed the author's teaching at the University as he challenged deep-rooted racial…

Like the U.S., Germany is finding it difficult to integrate ethnic minorities into its society. The resulting "social erosion" is most apparent in German schools. (WD)

Style of behavior, or the manner in which meaning is transmitted, is a cultural element. Children learn cultural communication systems by participating in them. (JD)

Starting a special-interest alumni group based on race can be problematic. Painful memories still linger for many minority alumni. Louisiana State University's Tureaud Chapter was willing to operate within the alumni association's framework. The right mix of communication, programing, and financial support is needed. (MLW)

Reports on ongoing efforts in Mississippi and Maryland to integrate public colleges 47 years after "separate but equal" was declared unconstitutional. Notes controversy over the role of historically black colleges. In 10 states continuing college desegregation cases are in the courts. A graphic summarizes the status of these cases by…

Discusses whether the alternatives to traditional education that were promoted in the past decade have lived up to their promise of creating a school environment that is conducive to learning for all students, focusing on magnet schools, educational vouchers, privatization and charter schools, and home schooling. (SM)

This timeline reflects some of the most significant legal and legislative milestones that have influenced higher education almost as long as Black Issues In Higher Education has been in print. The ongoing legal battles have primarily involved the further desegregation of schools and the use of race and gender in scholarships and university…

The U.S. Supreme Court declined an opportunity last week to rule on the constitutionality of a school district's policy of weighing race as a factor in assigning students to schools. It has sidestepped a potentially thorny sequel to its 2003 rulings on affirmative action in higher education and left several lower-court rulings as the best…

The history and current nature of local race relations work in Britain are reviewed in this paper. The development from voluntary local committees in the 1950s through the establishment of the national Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in 1976 is traced. It is shown that the functions of local work have changed from those of information,…

The state of Washington is moving towards the assumption of the full costs of public school student transportation. This move has increased interest at the state level in transportation costs originating at the local district level. These costs have been relatively high in the Seattle school district, complicated by the city's geographic and…

An outline of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights desegregation actions from 1969 to 1986 is presented. (MLW)

Summarizes changes in student achievement and behavior (cross-racial selections) due to the adoption of an activity-based elementary education program (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Classroom Laboratories and Elementary Science Study units) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Emphasis of hands-on experience in mixed-race groups was effective in student…

This paper explains how upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger are expected to broadly affect the future of race-conscious affirmative action. In these cases, the Supreme Court addresses the constitutionality of admissions policies at the University of Michigan designed to promote educational diversity…

The high degree of ethnic diversity at the University of California at Berkeley where minority students, taken together, now form the majority, has been characterized by the tendency of students to segregate themselves into racial and ethnic enclaves. Such self-segregation is decried by some students and faculty and lauded by others. (DB)

Discusses whether school choice benefits students who do and do not receive vouchers, noting how choice affects integration and democratic ideals. Overall, there are important benefits for families participating in choice programs. Choice does not cream off the best students. Educational vouchers may influence public schools to improve. Private…