The Re-Segregation of Public Education Now and After the End of Brown v. Board of Education

Abstract

Approximately 50 years ago, Brown v. Board of Education was viewed by many as a turning point in American history that crystallized a national movement to eliminate state-enforced racially segregated public education. However, in recent years many parents, educators, and policy makers in education have begun to question whether Brown has made a substantive or symbolic impact on racially desegregating or providing quality education equity. Growing concerns about the ability of Brown to bring about meaningful desegregation and equity in education are exacerbated by the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1. This article examines the re-segregation of public education in the post—Brown era, the implications of the recent Supreme Court ruling on voluntary integration plans, and strategies school districts may employ to promote school integration within the parameters of this Court decision.