Desegregation of Schools

In the 21st century, school desegregation is still inextricably linked to the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, which declared racially segregated schools illegal. However, 10 years after Brown, not only were the [Page 282]courts still undecided about what desegregation really meant, but the ruling in Brown had largely been ignored, especially in the South. To put an end to deliberate delays in desegregation, the 1964 Civil Rights Act ordered desegregation to achieve equality of educational opportunity—which is the idea that all people have an equal chance of achieving regardless of race, sex, or class. In general, the concept of school desegregation has influenced the curriculum studies field by providing an important historical backdrop that informs the development and design of ...