Reflection Part III

Separate and Unequal  

Some of America’s greatest educational reforms that influenced the school system today occurred in the 1950s through the 1970s. A common phrase that was commonly said at the spark of the reforms was the concept of having everyone be “separate and equal.” However, how can separate but equal co-exist in a society? Is there even such a thing? The crusade of reforms during these years was led by activists, parents, and by even students themselves. Although there was unavoidable chaos during the reforms, the purpose was nothing other than to ensure the school system was acting according to the democratic principles of the United States and following the constitutional duties accordingly.

For instance, Diemer and Blustein (2007) found that racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic barriers generally hinder individuals’ vocational development. Of those, career barriers are significantly higher for those from poor backgrounds, people of color, women, and those who are disabled (Blustein, 2013). At the beginning of the reforms American schools continued to follow racial stereotypes against African Americans by having segregated classes of which it was claimed to be “equal.” It was claimed that when students were separated yet had access to the “same” resources there was no violation of the fourteenth amendment and therefore it was a valid way of providing an education to students equally and fairly. These classrooms, however, were never equal. All children regardless of their race should be treated equally, and the community plays an important role in helping to establish educational equity by fighting to have schools become desegregated at that time. 

Desegregation  

As the lawsuit of Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka was filed and taken to the Supreme Court the cases of Linda Brown and that of many other children from South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington DC together presented powerful evidence that 60 years of legalized segregation had to end. Desegregating all schools was the only way for all children to receive the education they deserved. As an additional focus of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 public schools would benefit the most as discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity in all became completely banned. The Civil Rights Act said, among other things, that states and school districts could lose their federal funding, if they refused to desegregate their schools. 

The Community’s Role  

As the national and state governments provide the money that runs the schools it makes sense why policymakers have many of the votes on what happens within the school system. However, individuals and communities play a role in establishing education equality by speaking out about the things that they do not like in the school systems and demanding policymakers to act upon those issues. Without a doubt today topics about segregation and educational inequity remain sensitive and uncomfortable for students and teachers to discuss, regardless of their race, ethnicity or economic status; however, without continuously discussing these topics how can communities ensure that schools remain a safe and integrated learning environment for students? The community has the power to indirectly control what happens in the school system by giving an input on what they believe should be changed.  

  

Today we can see the benefits that having an integrated education has for students. By having integrated schools there is a reduced racial achievement gap between students from different races. Research has shown that students are less likely to drop out from school and have a higher probability of graduating from high school; additionally, students have an even higher probability higher probability of going to college and completing college (The Century Foundation et al., 2021). Students can learn from one another and get exposed to their peers in a positive and collective way. By having diverse classrooms students get influenced by an environment fostering critical thinking, deeper learning, problem solving, and creativity.   

  

References  

Blustein, D. (2013). The psychology of working: A new perspective for career development, counseling, and public policy. Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge.  

Diemer, M. A., & Blustein, D. L. (2007). Vocational hope and vocational identity; Urban adolescents’ career development. Journal of Career Assessment, 15, 98-118. doi:10.1177/1069072706294528  

The Century Foundation et al. (2021) The benefits of socioeconomically and racially integrated schools and classrooms, The Century Foundation. Available at: https://tcf.org/content/facts/the-benefits-of-socioeconomically-and-racially-integrated-schools-and-classrooms/?session=1 .