Calcifying Sorting and Segregating: Brown at 60

Abstract

The 2007 Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1. Supreme Court 5:4 decision suggests that the Court is divided in its interpretation of Brown and its intent in addressing racial segregation. Although Brown intended equal educational opportunities through desegregation practices, local attempts to achieve racial balance created microclimates for continued minoritization. The Parents Involved decision seems to have impacted Seattle's implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), suggesting seepage between limits on Brown and increasing disproportionality. Additionally, local school and housing policies collude with cultural practice to maintain a social and political order that continues to disadvantage students who belong to minoritized groups segmented by race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and language, often cloaked as a response to disability.