UCLA Civil Rights Project Shows School Segregation Still Exists in 2012

The Civil Rights Project at UCLA released a study this week that concluded, despite the fact that America is becoming a more and more diverse society, American public schools are nonetheless still very segregated. Almost 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered an end to public school segregation, public schools are still largely separate and not equal based on both race and socioeconomic status. 

In analyzing recent Department of Education data, the Project found that most Black and Latino students attend schools with mostly all minority students. On the other hand, most white students attend schools with a majority of white peers. In addition, the majority of minority students attend school with mostly students from low income backgrounds. 

The most segregated cities for African American students are Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington D.C. Gary Orfield, the report's author, says, "Extreme segregation is becoming more common." 

Critics argue that this type of segregation perpetuates the education gap. Orfield and fellow researchers blame the Obama administration for failing to promote educational policies that promote integration.  

But would integration serve as a cure all to the current educational woes? Is integration without a lack of resources going to make much of a difference?    

Mark D. Rosenbaum, chief counsel to the ACLU in Los Angeles says it best. He asks, "Is it possible to learn calculus in a segregated school? Of course it is.  Is it possible to learn how the world operates and to think creatively about the rich diversity of cultures in this country? It is impossible." 

More here.