Initially, Kansas prohibited school segregation except for elementary schools in cities over 15,000 people. As Topeka annexed areas in the early 20th century, African Americans accustomed to integration filed court challenges, which failed. Subsequent efforts to desegregate Topeka are traced, through the landmark 1954 case. Black teachers in…

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…

This biography for young readers recounts in 10 chapters, the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and focuses on his life as a civil rights litigator who played a key role in the integration of education in the United States. Marshall's family history; boyhood and schooling in Baltimore (Maryland) and New York City; decision to attend…

THE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, EDUCATORS, AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY MAKERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS SYMPOSIUM DISCUSSED SCHOOL SEGREGATION ISSUES, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE NORTH AND WEST, TO PROVIDE SOME SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF INTEGRATION. THE FOLLOWING WERE AMONG THE PAPERS PRESENTED--(1) KENNETH CLARK "EFFECT OF SEGREGATION AND INTEGRATION ON…

The contents of this case study, on the perpetuation of segregation in the American city and a participant's narrative of Los Angeles' 10-year debate and struggle, 70-day trial and court order which was promptly bottled up by appeal, are organized in 13 parts as follows: (1) "The Segregating of the Los Angeles Schools"; (2)…

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)

As Americans commemorate the 50th anniversary of the "Brown v the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" U.S. Supreme Court public school desegregation decision on (the Brown decision), the author was tempted to refer to it as a "celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the legal end to racial segregation in the public schools of the…

Although this author knew very little about the details of "Brown v. Board of Education" as a legal matter when he read about it as a young second-year student at the University of Cape Town in 1954, the Court's verdict had a direct influence on his political perspectives and on his aspirations as a would-be teacher for the rest of his…

The last few years (2004-05) have been filled with commemoration, reflection, and scholarship around the landmark Supreme Court decision, "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954). It was right and proper to take a 50-year retrospective at one of the more significant court rulings of the 20th century. It was also important to look at the…

Several Supreme Court decisions in the 1970s have rejected constitutional arguments aimed at eliminating exclusionary zoning and growth management schemes which allegedly maintain existing problems of racial and income segregation in major metropolitan areas. These decisions have led observers to conclude that the Supreme Court has greatly…

This issue reviews national demographic trends in school segregation, summarizing research findings. Though the national debate on school segregation emphasizes blacks and whites, present-day school segregation includes segregation by socioeconomic level, ethnicity, and native language. The research study examined features of the ecology of…

In the 50 years since "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" formally desegregated public schools, there has been enormous progress in the academic success of African Americans, particularly in high school completion, improved test scores, increased college enrollment, and attainment of advanced degrees, as well as full access to and…

Problems and controversies involving public black colleges are reported in the context of the recent Supreme Court decision suggesting states should merge historically black colleges with geographically close, predominantly white institutions. In some cases white political leaders are blamed for potential closures of vulnerable institutions.…

In this article, the author shares perspectives on "Brown v. Board of Education" that are not focused only on the immediate aftermath but range across the 50 years since. They are compilations of the perspectives and experiences of students and teachers of color more generally as they have navigated the "mazeways" of promises…