Fulfilling the Promise of Brown.

N

13

Access to Education; Civil Rights; Civil Rights Legislation; Court Litigation; Cultural Differences; Educational History; Elementary Secondary Education; Equal Education; Multicultural Education; School Desegregation; Standards; Teacher Expectations of Students; United States History

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the "Brown v Board of Education" decision, it is appropriate to review it as the spark for a new definition of equality in American life. The Brown case was the first significant step in the modern civil rights movement, and, as such, defined the structure and legal reasoning for the push by women, Hispanics, the disabled, and other disenfranchised Americans for equal treatment under the law. The Brown decision was a crowbar for change, and we are all the better for it. As we affirm what has come since Brown, we must acknowledge that which remains to be done. We are beginning to recognize that low expectations and watered-down curricula are depriving children of what they might learn. Real progress will depend, not on the courts alone, but on the political and community leadership that will bring people together. Diversity without insistence on excellence and high standards will weaken the educational system and deprive all children. The central task is now a world-class education for each American child. An attached fact sheet summarizes some gains made since the Brown decision. (SLD)

1994

ED371104