The Case Of Brown V. Board Of Education Essay

Since the case of Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas, education reform has been watered down to discussions about teachers’ pay, the Common Core, and educational standards. What has been left out of the spotlight until recent years, however, is the connection between education, race, and income in the United States today. The nation presumes Brown v. Board of Education solved any race problems in K-12 education, but with more states getting released from court oversight, a stark difference in education quality, race, and income is emerging. After interning with the Iowa State Education Association in Waterloo, Iowa, I learned a lot about how a few schools in Waterloo are a prime example. While race and income are not always two things that go hand in hand, in the world of K-12 education, these things have a correlation. In order to understand how segregation has become a major issue again today, the history behind segregation in education in America must be understood. The history of segregation in education largely began with Plessy v. Ferguson, a case that established the doctrine of “separate but equal” which provided a “constitutional basis for segregation” (National Archives 2016). After this loss for black people in America, the case of Berea College v. Commonwealth of Kentucky occurred, which upheld state law in Kentucky that forbade interracial instruction at schools in Kentucky (National Archives 2016). In response to these losses, the National Association…