Separate and Unequal really resonated with me. The idea that Brown V. BOE suddenly fixed the racial and socioeconomic divide in education is false. Yes, integration crossed the first hurdle, but we still have a lot of work to do. In this article, Hebert suggests “Schools are no longer legally segregated, but because of residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities and long-held custom, they most emphatically are in reality.” I don’t doubt this to be true. Just attending my service learning project has allowed me to see that a school of 68% Hispanic children, is funded far less because of the area it’s in and the public it serves. He also states, “If you really want to improve the education of poor children, you have to get them away from learning environments that are smothered by poverty.” To me this is a no brainer. Children need to learn and grow in an environment that inspires them. I’m not saying that when you are poor, you have no inspiration, but when a child looks out the window and sees “cash for gold” stores, liquor stores, and not a patch of green in sight, it can change their aspirations.
This is a really interesting article I found on how Cambridge, Mass is integrating via socioeconomic status. Basically turning all of their schools into “magnet” schools and allowing parents to have a say in where their child goes, instead of based on what area they live in. It has allowed for a greater diversity and funding for all schools.
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