Brown v. Board of ed: 50 years later.

Fifty years after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, when segregation was supposed to have been history in American schools, the system appears to be as segregated as ever. A growing number of minorities, particularly Hispanics, has changed the face of American education, and with that, comes more challenges.

A consortium of education, community and military leaders, led by former U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley released a report, With All Deliberate Speed, offering recommendations to address achievement and diversity. "Our dilemma is that we are a nation ambivalent," the report states." We are both for integration and against it. We are for academic success for all, but we allow millions of children to remain isolated in inferior schools." Recommendations include:

* Diversity must be a key element in defining 'high-quality education' in laws and fiscal equity judicial cases.

* All students must have access to a high-quality education and diverse learning.

* After-school learning programs, such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, should also be offered.

* A new social compact and working relationship must be created between schools and communities.

www.education.nyu.edu/rnetrocenter/brownplus/home1.html

A Look at Race in 2050

52% White

25% Hispanic

14% Black

8% Asian/Pacific Islander

1% American Indian & Alaska native

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 

Race & Government

Do you think the government should ensure that schools are racially
integrated, or not?

         Yes  No

Blacks   79%  18%
Latinos  75%  22%
Whites   53%  45%

Source: With All Deliberate Speed, Metropolitan Center for Urban
Education