African Americans, Education of

African American education is a broad term referring to both historical and current issues relevant to the education of African American students. This entry provides an overview of important historical and current issues in the education of African American students. It considers historical issues such as schools for African Americans post-emancipation, debates about the appropriate education for African Americans in the late 20th century, the nature of education in segregated schools, and the landmark legal ruling in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, which ended legal racial segregation in schools. This entry also discusses contemporary issues in African American education, including inequity in educational access, the relationship between culture and learning for African American students, and African American student identity and perceived “opposition” ...