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ERIC Number: EJ1099131
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1938-9809
EISSN: N/A
When Minorities Are the Majority/A Challenge to Desegregation, the Challenge for Public Education (Minneapolis, A Case Study)
Green, William D.
Forum on Public Policy Online, v2007 n2 Spr 2007
Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court held in "Brown v. Board of Education" of Topeka, Kansas, that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional the children in America's urban school districts attend schools that predominantly are racial-isolated. In Minneapolis, the student profile is in stark contrast with the racial demographic of the city's residents. Where 86% of the population is white, 70% of the school children are of color. Indeed, 31% reside in homes where ninety languages, not including English, are spoken. Within this context, desegregation, as it is traditionally defined, is as conceptually anachronistic as it is impossible to achieve. This paper examines the assumptions of desegregation and argues that desegregation, as assumed in "Brown," can no longer be the conditional precedent to a quality education. It concludes that where resources are limited, white middle class students are few in number, and government is reluctant to advance the legacy of Earl Warren--the Chief Justice who delivered the "Brown" decision--urban school districts like Minneapolis are challenged to provide a quality education in racial isolation. Rather than expending resources on achieving racial balance, more investment must be made in providing equitable access to academic opportunity and professional development.
Oxford Round Table. 406 West Florida Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801. Tel: 217-344-0237; Fax: 217-344-6963; e-mail: editor@forumonpublicpolicy.com; Web site: http://www.forumonpublicpolicy.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota; Oklahoma
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Brown v Board of Education; Milliken v Bradley
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A