Elementary Education Act Of 1965 Essay

In his article, “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid”, Jonathan Kozol points out, whether we are aware or not, how American public schools are segregated. Schools that were segregated twenty-five to thirty years ago are still segregated, and schools that had been integrated are now re-segregating. The achievement gap between black and white students, after narrowing for a few decades, started to widen once again in the early 1990s when federal courts got rid of the mandates of the Brown decision and schools were no longer required to integrate.

This paper is about the ways in which desegregation was used to address equality of education post Brown v. Board of education (1954). I will discuss the challenges of desegregation, what challenges minority students still face in America 's public schools post Brown v. Board, and how might we transform education so that all students receive equal opportunity according to Dewey and Paolo.

Plessy versus Ferguson required all facilities, including schools, to be separate but equal. Fifty-eight years later in Brown versus the Board of Education, the ruling called for “education...to be made available to all on equal terms” (Bickel 458). Since then, the US has declared itself racially integrated. However, looking at the various educational institutions across the country, this is not the case in the majority of the locations. In turn, this has created poorer academic standards among minorities, the majority of which live in these racially segregated and underserved areas. This is an issue which requires immediate action and attention. By increasing funding in underserved and minority schools, we can increase the amount of resources and allow schools to have the latest technological equipment. In addition to that, integration is important because “unless children begin to learn together, there is little hope that our people will live together” (Ryan 123). By increasing funding and integration through housing and busing, we can combat the poor performances of minorities.

The 1950’s to the late 1960’s faced many changes in the segregation amongst the United States. In 1954, the education system in the city of Topeka, Kansas found it’s way into the court room. Previously in 1896, schools were labeled as equal but segregated. However, in the NAACP fought to end segregation in the school system on the grounds of inequality still existing in the education system. At last, on May 17th, the Supreme Court ruled unanimous to end segregation amongst students in the education system.

The 1896 Plessey v. Ferguson Supreme Court case marks a significant point in history where the segregation of African Americans’ and white Americans’ was upheld as constitutional, provided the facilities were equal. Over 50 years after that decision, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling renounced the previous stating that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. History shows that the integration of public schools was a protracted process, wherein many states tried to fight back against this integration of public schools. Today, many believe that segregation is an issue of the past, but observation would say otherwise. Activists and researchers are discovering and fighting against the effects of racially and socioeconomically

Education has long been regarded as a valuable asset for all of America's youth. Yet, when this benefit is denied to a specific group, measures must be taken to protect its educational right. In the 1950's, a courageous group of activists launched a legal attack on segregation in schools. At the head of this attack was NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall; his legal strategies would contribute greatly to the dissolution of educational segregation.

Lee and Bean argue that in the U.S today “racial boundaries may be fading, they are not disappearing at the same pace for all groups” (Lee Jennifer, Frank D Bean, Beyond Black and White). They argue that in our current society it is no longer a white and non white racial structure; they argue that now our society is forming a color line that is “less rigid for Latinos and Asians than blacks” (Lee Jennifer, Frank D Bean, Beyond Black and White). Non black minorities such as Asians and Latinos are starting to become more “white” and gain greater benefits in society because of their higher rates of intermarriage with whites, and therefore greater integration into white culture. With these benefits come better job opportunities, social mobility, and most importantly access to better education. So I created a policy that would raise taxes and create more funding for schools that have been segregated into mainly African American neighborhoods, “37% of African Americans students attend a school that is almost entirely black” (Schaefer 2010, Lambert Lecture). These schools are often underfunded with inadequate teachers that give African American students no real opportunities for upward social mobility through education that whites latinos and asians may receive. However if these schools are better funded and can provide African American students with an education that is at least equal to that of which the average white student receives in their early through high school levels

In 1954 the Supreme Court saw a case called Brown v. Board of Education of Kansas. This case was about segregation of public schools but before this was to be found unconstitutional, the school system in Kansas and all over the United States had segregated schools. For example, Topeka Kansas had 18 neighborhood schools for white children, but only 4 schools for African American children. (Brown v. Board of Education) Many people believe that the problem is no longer existent; however, many present day African American students still attend schools that are segregated. This problem goes all the way back to the 18th and 19th centuries when slavery was prevalent, yet still to this day it has not come to an end. Complete racial integration has yet to happen in many areas. This problem is not only in the Kansas City School District, but all over the country. The segregation of races in schools can impact a student’s future greatly. The Kansas City school district has been known to have the most troubled school’s systems for a long time.(Source) I’m sure the school board is well aware of the problem of racial inequality that is before them, but I will help them become more aware of the problem and how it affects a student’s future. In today’s society it is commonly overlooked on how important the subject of racial segregation really is. In this memo I will discuss the topics of racial socialization and school based discrimination in Kansas City, and the resulting effects that

In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of his “war on poverty” in hopes of closing the achievement gap between low income schools, which typically house larger percentages of student of color, and their more affluent counterparts. The act has been redefined and reauthorized every five years since its original enactment. However, despite the last 50 years of education reform, the disparity amongst high and low poverty schools is as large as it ever was. In turn, the disparity between students of color and white students has only grown. Clearly, the one size fits all approach to education America has been using does not work. The U.S public education system is broken and, as a country, very

The Civil Rights Era in the 60’s and 70’s was filled with many protests and political disarray, which threatened the instability and past stance that the U.S. had taken with the issue. With the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, the Court had agreed with the desegregation of public institutions, but never gave a timeline for when to enforce or be done with enforcing it. This caused much uproar as many southern states, including South Carolina and Texas, ignored or slowly implemented desegregation and continued to do so until the 70’s, even after the passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The stifling racism in the social environment limited the success of the laws made to protect colored people’s rights.

No President has made more innovation on the concept of educational inequality than President Johnson did between 1963 and 1969, who implemented sixty new programs such as the Emergency Educational Assistance Act (EEAS) and Integration Programs. However, President Johnson knew that simply bringing students together into one school without understanding the cultural background of the other student's would have more harm than potential benefits creating , the civil rights agenda movement.. According to Gary Orfield, the co- director of the Harvard’s Civil Rights project, changing attitude toward educational inequality is essential, and that drilling basic skills in today’s students is not working anymore (261). Also, Orfield refutes that new agendas must be implemented into schools which not only brings down barriers but also change racial practices within schools

Even in the 21st century the United States public school system is once again becoming segregated by race. Results of research show there are several factors involved in this trend, including housing discrimination and the United States Supreme Court granting the states sovereignty to govern their own policies on school desegregation; even going so far as to say the policies employed by states to desegregate based on race were unconstitutional. This topic addresses the issues causing resegregation and the ideas set forth to alleviate the problem and insure equal education for all children, regardless of race or socio-economic status.

We have come to understand public education in the United States as a core principle of one’s rights as a citizen in spite of it not explicitly guaranteed within the Constitution. Despite the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, we continue to witness the fight for complete and total integration within our public schools and thus, racial equality. The 14th Amendment forbid states from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, but was unclear in terms of it’s exact intention with respect to public education. As a result, were unable to see the effective use and enforcement of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments until approximately the 1940s for a number reasons, but I believe that structural racism is the foremost cause. Today, we find ourselves struggling to achieve full integration within our public school system due to the covert intentions behind structural racism and therefore, it’s ability to overpower the law. Structural racism has the ability to impact legal authority in such a way where we end up with a lack of appropriate enforcement legislation at the Supreme Court level and a lack of acknowledgement and remedies for de jure segregation and thus, it is the primary cause of the current segregation within the American public school system.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), brain child of President Johnson, was passed in 1965. ESEA was intended to mitigate disparities in access to quality academic services and learning outcomes endured by underprivileged and minority students by federally funding schools serving their communities. ESEA, later revised as No Child Left Behind, was to be one element in a larger reform agenda focused on urban redevelopment, vocational training and “EDUCATION AND HEALTH” (Thomas & Brady, 2005). In his 1965 State of the Union, Johnson proclaimed, “No longer will we tolerate widespread involuntary idleness, unnecessary human hardship and misery, the impoverishment of whole areas… ” Nevertheless, this intractable problem remains, as illustrated by recent National Assessment of Educational Progress findings:

Elementary teachers not only introduce their students to the basic concepts of core subjects, they also help pave the path to each student’s future success. Education to become a teacher is long and tedious, and while the income may not be the highest available, watching students develop a new skill or grow an appreciation for learning can be very rewarding. Because there will always be a need for education, even with the recent budget cuts, teaching jobs will always have to be available somewhere.