The Promise of Desegregation

Abstract

The debates about African American children's school experiences have grown and progressed steadily since the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision. The Brown decision provides a useful framework in which to examine how well U.S. public schooling has succeeded in helping African American children develop basic academic skills and in creating environments that foster social competencies for all children. This article focuses on the question: after 40 years and two to three new generations of African American children entering schools, have the responses of schools and society resulted in more than the appearance of change-in educational access, quality of learning outcomes, or increased possibilities and opportunities for academic learning and social success. Using four propositions to examine the social contexts, discontent, and circumstances leading to the Brown case and the ensuing issues, wefocus on the promises of desegregation and the persistence of repressed learning opportunities for many African American children, namely the disparity between desegregation's potential to promote equal access and equal learning outcomes and its success in effecting change.