| On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court made a landmark decision when it ruled on Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. The court case that stated (Wikipedia's easy interpretation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B... ) "by declaring that state laws that established separate public schools for black and white students denied black children equal educational opportunities. Handed down on May 17, 1954, the Warren Court's unanimous (9-0) decision stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." As a result, de jure racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. State Laws which established separate schools for black and white children were denying black children the right to an equal education"
As a result of the above ruling, education in America began its journey in addressing integration in all public schools regardless of where those schools were located.
According to: 88.01.03: School Desegregation and Prejudice in the United States Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: School Desegregation and Prejudice in the United States by Mary Ellen Leahy http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curr... "In 1974, Federal District Court Judge Garrity found that the Boston, Massachusetts School Committee was implementing a systematic program of segregation affecting all students, teachers and schools. The Court imposed the remedy of mandatory busing. This order created chaos and social upheaval in the city of Boston. "
Every few years new milestones would be made guaranteeing that integration continued throughout America. School districts bus their students within their districts to maintain integration so that the schools represent their total student population. Some districts actually integrate based upon race and religion to maintain a truly integrated system so that children of all backgrounds mingle and mix together.
However, the question arises is how integrated are our Urban schools in New Jersey?
I have no idea as to what is happening nationally, but I have a pretty good idea as to what is occurring in New Jersey. As a Special Education Advocate I have had the opportunity to work with some of the Urban districts; most recently in Newark, NJ.
I have been representing four Native American children. What I have experienced from the regular education to their Special Education would have stunned anyone else who had never run into the workings of inner city schools.
Newark is a very interesting City. It is comprised of African Americans, Hispanics, Portuguese and a sundry of other minority groups- with a speckle of Caucasian sprinkled in somewhere.
The problem with Newark is that their schools are racially and ethnically imbalanced. In essence Newark practices de facto segregation. You have schools which are basically comprised of children of Hispanic origin attending one school, African American students attending another school, Portuguese children in another school, and the splattering of other ethnic and cultural groups scattered throughout the district. Native American children, regardless of how many times the administration is told that they are Native American are told they are Hispanic, African American and basically denied recognition of their heritage.
However, that's another diary. Right now, Newark needs to end its defacto segregation and begin bussing their students city wide to effectively integrate their school system.
It is unacceptable in today's society, that there should be a school system where their schools are not racially and ethnically balanced. The fact that most African American students are attending the failing schools in Newark; while children of other racial and ethnic backgrounds go to the "better" schools, should immediately cause outrage in a progressive society such as New Jersey.
You have Hispanic principals with Hispanic children and African American Principals with African American children and the cultures do not mix on a grand scale.
The State of NJ needs to integrate Newark schools by bussing the African American students to the Portuguese and Hispanic schools. The Portuguese students need to be divided up and sent to the Hispanic and African American schools and Hispanic students sent to the Portuguese and African American schools. Neighborhood schools/SLTs must end in Newark because not only is it a violation of integration, but depending upon which school the child attends, will determine the quality of education that child receives. Mixing the populations of the children guarantees an end to de facto segregation. That's Integration! Something that Newark is in great need of.
Also, isn't there something about Federal monies going to districts for integration? What happened to Newark? Why wasn't it ever given Federal monies for bussing for integration? If they received it, where did the money go?
(This story can also be followed on www.secretnj.com) |
