The Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago that segregation in schools
could not be tolerated ““ “separate but equal”
amounted to institutionalized racism.
Since then, state and federal agencies have made tremendous
efforts to make access to education universal and equal. But is
access to education really equal? Are schools today really
integrated? To both questions, the answer is a resounding no.
Across the nation, whites and Asians receive higher average
scores on almost all standardized tests. On average, black students
graduate from high school with the equivalent of an eighth-grade
reading level. Even in diverse cities such as Los Angeles, schools
are often 90 percent Latino, have high poverty rates and dismal
performance. And this year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed
$2 billion in cuts for K-12 education.
K-12 inequities spill over into the world of higher education.
Despite drawing from an entire country of applicants, UCLA only
admitted 199 black students this year.
Something is very wrong.
Fifty years ago, racial discrimination in schools was made
illegal through Brown v. Board of Education, and Americans should
be concerned about these realities. More than ever, a quality
education is a prerequisite for success. Gone are the days when a
high school diploma could open the door to the professional job
market. If the children of ethnic minorities are graduating with
sub-par educations, they are not getting a fair shot at the rest of
life.
So, what should be done? What can be done?
The use of affirmative action by colleges and businesses is one
way to extend a helping hand and boost people into the middle and
upper classes. Such programs ““ maligned as they are by
conservatives ““ serve to help fulfill Brown’s promise,
gradually easing minorities into the professional classes.
But while affirmative action has clear societal and educational
benefits, it alone cannot fix the underlying problems in U.S.
society and its education system.
For one thing, affirmative action can help only students who are
already doing passing work. If the UC used affirmative action, most
students in poorly performing schools would still be left out of
the process: Thousands of California students leave the K-12 system
without the basic skills needed to complete a college degree. What
can race-conscious university admissions do for students who drop
out of high school or simply do not believe college is an
option?
There are no silver bullets to the inequalities that remain in
the U.S. education system. If the situation is to improve, it will
take adequate funding, quality teachers, parental involvement,
community outreach and plain old hard work.
Though President Bush and Sen. John Kerry don’t talk about
it much, educational inequity is a problem as complex as terrorism,
the war in Iraq, the sluggish economy and inadequate health care.
And for millions of students who are denied an adequate chance to
learn, there is nothing as crucial as fixing the sad shape of
schools.
Americans can be proud that schools aren’t segregated
under law as they were 50 years ago. But they also must understand
that the promise of the Brown decision has not been realized. And
they can hope it won’t take 50 more years before it is.