ReformK12.com: Reflections on <i>Brown</i>: A racial problem?

Reflections on Brown: A racial problem?

May 17, 2004

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which eventually helped break down the color barrier in public education where it previously had been enforced by law.

Today, many people are wondering about the racial gap that still exists in public education in America. It is a sad fact that in our cities, far too many largely-minority schools are simply not providing their students with the same level of service as suburban schools, many of which are largely white.

But does this mean that Brown v. Board of Education has failed, or that there's a conspiracy afoot to keep children of color uneducated?

Consider a few facts. In America's urban centers with the largest proportion of Black and Hispanic citizens, Blacks and Hispanics are very well ensconced in city leadership, including the mayor's office, city council and especially local representation to state legislatures.

This trend is matched in these cities' school districts, where minorities hold significant positions from the Superintendent's office and school boards through the leadership ranks, such as regional superintendents, supervisors, and other levels of middle management.

But it is in the schools themselves where the conspiracy theory falls apart. A significant percentage of predominantly-minority schools (where the percentage of white pupils is in the single digits if not zero) are run by principals and teachers of the same race as the kids.

In some areas this trend extends to charter schools. For example, in Philadelphia a number of charter schools were created where the founding coalition came from a close-knit, all-black neighborhood, thus it is not uncommon today to see a school with not only a 100% black student body, but a 100% black staff, administration, and school board. And we're talking about schools of choice here!

No, our current problem with urban education is not a racial problem, however it is often assumed to be.

Thomas Sowell writes (emphasis ours):

[B]oth the explicit language and the implicit assumptions of the Supreme Court in Brown depicted the answer to problems of blacks in general as being essentially the changing of white people. This was yet another line of reasoning that led straight into a blind alley.

Today, there are all-black schools that succeed, all-black schools that fail, and racially mixed schools that do either. Neither race nor racial segregation can explain such things. But both can serve as distractions from the task of creating higher standards and harder work.

Rather than point fingers at racial causes for our troubles at largely-minority schools, we think it makes far more sense to step back and look at the big picture. Sure, Brown has eradicated forced segregation by the powers-that-be. But that doesn't ensure a quality education where there are few avenues of choice and competition (which naturally occurs when parents can afford to choose private schools).

Expose our embattled urban school systems to the irresistible forces of the free market, and watch truly effective schools rise to the surface. By these we mean schools which not only serve largely-minority student bodies, but have tremendous track records of success, such as the No Excuses schools or the KIPP academies, all of which thrive on a steady diet of high expectations in both behavior and academics.

Of these schools Oliver Brown would be proud.

Posted by ceb into Education Reform , Misconceptions , Racial Issues
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Comments

Chett, is your school a No Excuses or KIPP school?

aschoolyardblogger May 19, 2004 07:09 PM

Schoolyard, no, I'm just a big fan of schools which achieve great things with the same raw materials as any other inner-city school.

chett May 20, 2004 01:51 AM

iam writing this comment because it seems nothing has changed there is still racial hatred going on i live in washingtonheights and the racial hate to blacks by dominicans is overwhelming, the police are still stoping black men for going to 145 sreet this community is full of hate and something has to be done before one of oue children or gans are hurt or killed. i have reached out to no avail, imust be afriad for myself and children because of the hatred the dominicans have for blacks this is america and iam an american this must stop its like we are back in the dark ages. we need some intervention in this community, it is to full of hate you cant even reach out to the police.

barbara petillo June 6, 2004 12:51 PM

Barbara,

If you're looking for someone to solve your problems for you, then don't hold your breath. You'll be waiting a long time.

Yes, there are racial hatreds. They are inflamed constantly by 'leaders' on both sides, who have something to gain from increased tensions and hatreds. For many people, the hatreds are traditional, or a way of avoiding responsibility and placing the blame for failure on someone else.

It's easy to hate and fear and destoy; any moron can do that. It's much harder to encourage and praise and build. When they see someone achieving something outstanding, a large portion of people out there gleefully try to pull them down, rather than working harder themselves to achieve the same thing. That behavior is something that I see endemic in poor communities, whether they are black, hispanic, white, or whatever.

In general, people are poor because their parents and families were poor, AND most importantly, because they also did not learn skills to improve their lot AND did not have the initiative to even want to try. It's easier to stay on the public dole and do nothing except keep your hand out and blame other people for your misfortune.

Whites keeping blacks down? Don't make me laugh. Most successfuly whites could care less about blacks, except when blacks either threaten them or demand even more benefits and privileges without being willing to work for them. Blacks are more than capable of keeping themselves down, thank you and thanks also to the likes of Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the idolization of rappers and gangsters by black culture in general. If you conspire to be a hood and a criminal, don't blame whites when you get what you want. Success is being too 'white'? Well, then, do everthing to fail, you can show whitey that he can't tell you what to do. And while you're shooting yourself in the foot, make sure you take your hand out of your baggy, underwear-showing pants for your monthly handout from whitey.

The best thing that whites could do for us blacks is to STOP trying to help us. Giving us stuff we haven't earned just makes us feel contempt for ourselves, for them, and for what was given. And we need to stop being contemptuous of those blacks who are willing to work hard and make something of themselves - they're not betraying us, they're showing us how to improve ourselves. And we're too much in love with being victims and 'poor little me' to give a damn.

No, whitey doesn't have to do anything to keep us down, nor does he really care one way or the other, in spite of what we're always being told. We're doing quite well keeping ourselves down, without his help.

Claire June 17, 2004 12:28 PM