School Segregation Today: Segregation and Student Poverty

School Segregation Today: Segregation and Student Performance

School Segregation Today Urban sprawl and regional government fragmentation have worked to re-segregate urban school districts What is the link between today’s segregated urban schools and student poverty or student performance? Sources: Dissimilarity Index Data from Lewis Mumford Center, School District Data from National Center for Education Statistics

Social Construction of Disparity Disparities exist on many levels: individual, group, neighborhood, city, metropolitan area and nation. Regardless of educational, occupational, and demographic characteristics, wealth is racially disparate. Middle class blacks possess fifteen cents for every dollar of wealth held by middle-class whites. The average white Americans’ median net worth is twelve times that of black Americans. It is twice as difficult for blacks to obtain a mortgage as it is for whites with comparable incomes. It is three times as difficult for blacks to gain employment in the service sector as whites. Racial Healing: Confronting the Fear Between Blacks and Whites: Douglas S. Massey & Nancy A Denton Face to Face: The Changing State of Racism in America: J Waller

How Brown Influenced Subsequent Civil Rights Jurisprudence What is segregation? de jure legally imposed segregation de facto segregation (especially in schools) that happens in fact although not required by law.

How Brown Influenced Subsequent Civil Rights Jurisprudence What is segregation? In regard to schools, segregation pertains to situations in which a disproportionate number of white students or students of color attend a school or school system. 

How Brown Influenced Subsequent Civil Rights Jurisprudence Segregation can also be defined from emotional, psychological, mental, physical, legal and social perspectives. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. defined segregation as a twin evil that gives a sense of inferiority to “Blacks,” and a sense of superiority to “Whites.” He posits that segregation creates a distorted psychological self that in turn distorts democracy

What is Desegregation? Desegregation refers to efforts at remedying racial imbalances. It traditionally means removing formal legal barriers, or simply placing students of different races in proximity to each other. Efforts are often limited to moving and mixing racial populations to end racial isolation. As it has played out in most of America’s educational settings, desegregation requires students of the non-dominant group (most often nonwhite) to assimilate into the school and culture created for and controlled by the dominant group (most often white). Structures are not altered to meet the needs of the new and different students.[1] [1] Ware, L. and M. Ware 1996. “Plessy’s Legacy: Desegregating the Eurocentric Curriculum.” Georgia State University Law Review 12. Fix cite and find page.

What is Integration? “The word segregation represents a system that is prohibitive; it denies the Negro equal access to schools, parks, restaurants, libraries and the like. Desegregation is eliminative and negative, for it simply removes these legal and social prohibitions.  Integration is creative, and is therefore more profound and far-reaching than desegregation.  Integration is the positive acceptance of desegregation and the welcomed participation of Negroes in the total range of human activities.  Integration is genuine intergroup, interpersonal doing.  Desegregation then, rightly is only a short-range goal. Integration is the ultimate goal of our national community.” Quote by Dr. Martin Luther King from The Ethical Demands for Integration