Quality public school education is viewed by parents and professional educators as essential for individual students to access social, political and economic opportunities as adults. Fifty years ago, the Brown v. Board of Education (Brown) decision held out the hope that by desegregating public schools all children, whether Black or White, would be the beneficiaries of a unified system of quality primary and secondary education.

Unfortunately, 50 years later racial isolation is the norm for Long Island's residential neighborhoods and racially separate and unequal is the norm for Long Island's public schools. In the presentation, Racism and the Opportunity Divide on Long Island, john powell, formerly of the Institute on Race and Poverty, identifies major contributors to inequity on Long Island and begins to discuss possible solutions.

Potential Remedies to Inequality in Long Island Public Schools

ERASE Racism is collaborating with organizations and individuals throughout Long Island to develop potential remedies to inequity in our public schools. Please contact us if you are interested in collaborating with us.

1. Dismantle Racial Isolation in Public School Education

   Questions to be answered:
   How do you create schools with diverse student bodies? How do you promote within-school integration? How do you ensure high levels of teacher and student performance in the midst of change?

   After years of decline following Brown and the cases that followed this Supreme Court decision, segregation in America's school is on the rise. All students in America tend to go to school with a disproportionate number of students of their own race/ethnicity. In addition, students of color tend to go to school with a disproportionate number of low-income students. The following discussion overviews these trends, discusses the factors behind them, and discusses the effects that they have on the quality of education our students receive. It also touches on a critical, but often overlooked, aspect of integration, namely measures beyond demographic balance for creating a truly integrated educational environment.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

2. Using the Assets of Communities of Color to Educate Students in De Facto Segregated Schools

   Questions to be answered:
   What strategies should be pursued (for example, Afro-centric schools)? In segregated schools, how do you draw on assets and strengths that will benefit individual students and the community at large?

   In response to rising levels of school segregation, White resistance to integration, and negative experiences with past desegregation efforts, some school districts and communities have pursued alternative educational strategies that aim to draw on the assets that exist in communities of color. Two of these strategies are discussed here: community schools and ethnocentric schools.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

3. Compensate for the Inequalities Inherent in Racially and Economically Segregated Schools

   Questions to be answered:
   How do you address the inequity of resources, the inequality of opportunity and the disparate outcomes for students?

   There are a number of factors beyond segregation that contribute to racial disparities in student achievement and a number of measures other than integration that can and should be pursued in order to reduce these disparities and ensure that all students are provided with a quality education. To some extent, the issues and strategies discussed in this section can be viewed as strategies for ameliorating the effects of segregation. Many of them, however, may also be viewed as critical elements of a quality education that also includes integration.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

4. Measure the Effectiveness of Federal and State Policies, Mandates and Standards

   Questions to be answered:
   What do they measure? Do they help or hinder student achievement? Are they breaking patterns of segregation and inequality?

   Consistent with trends in other areas of policymaking, recent trends in education policy at the federal and state level have placed strong emphasis on monitoring and accountability. The following discussion focuses on the No Child Left Behind Act. Enacted in 2001 with bipartisan support, this act continues the federal tradition of targeting federal funds at high need students, but ties these funds to accountability measures for students, schools, and districts predicated on student performance on high stakes tests. In 1995, New York State adopted its own high stakes tests to determine which students will graduate from high school. This is also discussed here.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

5. Examine the Impact of Special Education, Tracking and Discipline Policies on Students of Color

   Questions to be answered:
   What do they measure? Do they help or hinder student achievement? Are they breaking patterns of segregation and inequality?

   As discussed elsewhere, educational policies and practices at the state and federal level can create racial and economic segregation between schools and between districts and harm the educational opportunities of low-income students and students of color. Policies that play out within schools can have a similar effect. Specifically, policies and practices that deal with issues of special education, tracking/ability grouping, and discipline can create dual systems of education within schools and deny students of color the educational opportunities afforded to other students.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

6. Close the Gaps for Students of Color in accessing Technology, College and Future Employment

   Questions to be answered:
   If the basics are not enough...How do you address the digital divide? How do you transition more students of color into college and ensure graduation? What does it take to integrate Long Island's workforce at all levels?

   A number of the educational disparities discussed in other issue areas do not bode well for the college and employment opportunities of low-income students and students of color. As is discussed in this section, the level of education attained, and the quality of education received, have significant consequences for the likelihood that an individual will be able to attend college and for the likelihood that an individual will be able to find a job, particularly one that pays decent wages. Moreover, disparities in college and job prospects created by educational inequities are compounded by persistent discrimination in the job market and the increasing significance of technological expertise in the employment market.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic

7. Address the Challenges for Hispanic Students, where Ethnicity, Language and Residency Status Complicate the Education process

   Questions to be answered:
   What are issues facing Long Island's growing, diverse Hispanic population and how do they impact the education of students?

   Hispanics represent the fastest growing population in the United States and this demographic trend is having a significant effect on the population of our schools. As is discussed elsewhere in the conference materials, Hispanic students face many of the same educational challenges as African American students. Many Hispanic students also face an additional set of educational challenges because of limited English proficiency. The discussion below notes some of the more significant demographic trends, references the educational issues discussed elsewhere, and then briefly overviews some of the major educational issues facing Hispanic students.

   For more information: Download a PDF on this topic