Clark (1989) in his seminal piece Dark Ghetto: Dilemmas of Social Power, conducted originally in 1965, found that “school segregation in the South has, for generations been supported by law; in the North, segregation has been supported by community custom and indifference” (p.111). Black schools did not receive the same federal financial support as white schools, which led to inferior quality of the education in those schools (Clark, 1989). Clark suggested that the continuance of segregated schools would lead to “a school system of low academic standards, a second-class education for under-classed children and thereby a chief contributor to the perpetuation of the “social dynamite”, which is the cumulative pathology of the ghetto” (p. 112).
Clark (1989) also found that segregated schools were “separate, but unequal”. The further black students progressed in schools the higher the discrepancy became between their education and that of white schools. The majority of students leaving black high schools in the ghetto were found inferior both in reading and mathematics (Clark, 1989). Clark (1989) credited some of this lack of achievement to the judgmental and racist attitudes of their educators in addition to limited resources. Teachers treated black students as if they were uneducable, which led to a self-fulling prophecy (Clark, 1989). Thus, black students received a second-class education from racist teachers in substandard environments, which led to their academic failures (Clark, 1989). The educational climate described by Clark (1989) holds true today where racism continues to influence the structure and schooling of America’s public schools. The majority of black students continue to attend segregated public schools branded by disparities, including substandard physical facilities, uncertified teachers, and limited funds/resources to provide interesting and innovative educational programs for students. The racial dynamic that exists within public schools poses barriers to higher education for minority students, rather than preparing them for educationally-motivated economic mobility. Gibson (2015) states “It has been well-documented that educational institutions have not been neutral sites when it comes to gender and racial socialization of students” (p. 199). Simpkins (2002) suggests that public schools tend to “give up” on their black students” (p. 1). These students are at risk for becoming ‘public school throwaway kids’, which he defines as “those students who are forced to drop out of school or are expelled due to their schools’ inability to teach them” (Simpkins, 2002, p.1). Thus, teachers continue to exhibit racist attitudes towards black students and treat them as uneducable (Simpkins, 2002). Public schools also fail to account for the cultural, linguistic, and developmental differences apparent in black students; nor do they consider the impact of adversity, poverty, or oppression (Brunious, 1998; Partee, 2015; Simpkins, 2002). Society in general, and public schools specifically, fail to meet the needs of black students; instead they further disadvantage minority students through the continuance of ‘separate and unequal’ practices. I ask, 50 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education (1965) ruling, when will the segregation of public schools end in the United States? Why is de facto segregation still the over-arching preferred form of interaction between blacks and whites? Thankfully, a woman in my community of origin legally challenged segregation and won. Hoots vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1981) forced the merger of five small school districts into one large school district, Woodland Hills, where I attended. In this environment, integrative practices flourished, and we classified ourselves by our school mascot, not our skin tones. People of all races that attended/attend Woodland Hills go on to be successful at college and their corresponding majors/professions. If integration works, meaning that people unite as one human kind rather than multiple races divided, why do people still segregate? If integration of public schools is found to elevate the academic achievements of minority students through better schools, resources, programming, and opportunities then why are public schools still segregated? References: Brunious, L. J. (1998). How Black disadvantaged adolescents socially construct reality: Listen, do you hear what I hear? New York: Garland Pub. Clark, K. B. (1989). Dark ghetto: Dilemmas of social power (2nd ed.). Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press. Gibson, G. A. (2015). Education vs. schooling: Black adolescent females fight for an education in the 21st century. In Collins, C. F. (Ed.), Black girls and adolescents: Facing the challenges (pp. 199-210). Oxford, England: Prager. Partee, M. E. (2015). Black girls in poverty. In Collins, C. F. (Ed.), Black girls and adolescents: Facing the challenges (pp. 61-74). Oxford, England: Prager. Simpkins, G. (2002). The throwaway kids. Brookline, Mass.: Brookline Books.
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