Racial Discrimination In Public Schools

Efforts to desegregate public schools have been presence since 1954. The efforts were the outcomes of the opinions of the Supreme Court based on the way it interpreted the Equal Protection Clause, which is part of the Fourteenth Amendment. Some of the controversial cases in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1950 include Brown v. Board of Education, New Count School Board v. Green, and Swam v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education asserted the need for public schools to avoid any intentional segregation efforts. In fact, there was a time when the Federal Court was supervising over 500 schools to make they did not take part in intentional racial segregation. The paper analyzes the implications analyzes the implications of the equal protection clause …show more content…
In the Green v. New Kent County School Board, the Supreme Court charged schools boards with the responsibility of ensuring that racial discrimination is eliminated from public schools (Brown, 1997). The court asserted the need for effective plans while insisting that the use of race-neutral assignment plans was not sufficient. This was in line with the ruling of Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (Brown, 1997). According to the Green and Swann Supreme Court cases, race should be considered in student assignment, and that racial classification is necessary for public schools that have engaged in racial discrimination in the …show more content…
It is imperative to understand that the structure developed by the Supreme Court to develop a strict attitude on racial classification is not applicable to public schools. The unique nature of public schools service stems from the need to preserve the rights of all the children. A public school is a socializing institution that must instill the fundamental values required to develop all round adults (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1952). The need for mandatory desegregation should be analyzed based on the fact that schools are socializing institutions. Diller (2001) believes the application of race-conscious and race-neutral assignment plans can be effective in elimination segregation in public schools. In conclusion, the Equal Protection Clause implies the assignment of students to every school to achieve racial balance is important (Diller, 2001). This is because of the role that schools should play in the society. The use of racial classification has been challenged by many who view as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. However, the unique nature of educational institutions justifies the need to be race conscious when it comes to the assignment of students. It breeds tolerance and supports the development of a democratic society in the next