From School Desegregation to Open Schools By : Heather Petz & Jennifer Thompson

The 1950’s Post War School Systems “Separate But Equal” Profound inequalities within schools: women African Americans Students with Disabilities Mexican Americans

Women: School sports teams unavailable Scholarships not provided Professional schools and many colleges not open to women All readers were gender bias Girls were steered away from math & science

African Americans 17 states still segregated schools desegregated schools were still separating students within the buildings and classrooms (separate proms, student governments, sports teams, classes, etc.) Unequal facilities- no gyms, no science labs, no foreign language teachers, old books (typically 4-5 years behind) Classrooms were in poor condition

Students with Disabilities: -72% of students with disabilities were not even enrolled in schools -Before the start of the Civil Rights Act, Most children were institutionalized  -Special Education legislation started as part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's  -Government made grants available to state schools for children with disabilities  -In the mid-seventies, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA began.  This allowed children with disabilites to an appropriate education including developing Individual Education Plans (IEP) and placing them in Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

Schools were Separate but Unequal Segregation was legal if schools were proved to be “equal.” African American Schools were vastly inadequate compared to white schools.

1941- Georgia The NAACP had traveled through the south to uncover the inequalities between the white and African American schools.

It all began in Topeka Kansas. N.A.A.C.P. “ School is the place to bring down segregation in America!” It all began in Topeka Kansas. The NAACP asks 13 black families to enroll their children in their neighborhood white school. Film- segment #3

Linda Brown In the fall of 1950, Linda Brown’s father tried to enroll her in her neighborhood “white school.” They, along with 12 other families, were not allowed enrollment. The NAACP filed A lawsuit against The Board of Education in Topeka. Topekahttp://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/brown.html

After the Ruling Black teachers were not considered or “integrated” 30,000 African American teachers lost their jobs Most southern states refused to comply to new law Students and adults petitioned in the streets Many African American students who did integrate felt unwelcome, isolated, and discriminated against (

President Lyndon Johnson: A Desegregation Champion “An equal chance at education is an equal chance at life.” Pres. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act- banned discrimination in all publicly funded programs (including schools) Provided 4 billion dollars to public school systems to help disadvantaged youth Money was used to help integration: school would loose funding if they did not comply to integration rules Film #5 Film: #5

Mexican Americans- average schooling 5.4 years Books portrayed Mexican Americans as “Lazy” and “always taking a siesta” Students were paddled or received detention for speaking native language Put down by teachers Commonly told they would not go anywhere in life

1968 Chicano Civil Rights Movement Crystal City High School 87% Hispanic student body Principal and 3 out of 4 teachers were white Film #7 25.28

Through the segregation period, many reforms were created to provide opportunities for an equal education in America for all children no matter their race, disability, and gender.

Open Schools 1965-1975 Schools ranged from having 2 classrooms joined with no walls to enormous spaces housing up to 200 students.

What was it about? Several teachers per “classroom” Large groups of students, of all ages, with diverse academic levels Mostly small group & Independent study Minimal whole group instruction

Goal and Theory Open schools had an understanding that children learn in various ways and at their own pace. Children learn best using their environment and by incorporating their interests. Promoted creativity, higher order thinking skills, and active learners.

What happened to the fad? Classrooms were noisy and disorderly Inadequate ventilation Difficult to implement successfully – because of unclear definition of “Open Education” and lack of professional knowledge The theory of “Open Schools” sounded effective but many of the key aspects were never truly implemented. 10 years later – walls returned and more traditional teacher-directed learning continued.

The End!

References: Cuban, L. (1993). How teachers taught. NY: Teacher’s College Press. Pp. 149-204 Films on Demand: A Struggle for Educational Equality: 1950-1980 Tyack,D.B. (1974). The one best system: A history of American urban education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University press. Pp. 217-229 OpenClassroom. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Classroom. November 28,2011.