In 1954, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This historic decision was supposed to end the injustice of “separate but equal” educational facilities, paving the way for a more inclusive society where every child, regardless of race, could access quality education.
However, almost 70 years later, we must confront a stark reality: the promise of Brown remains unfulfilled despite efforts to forcibly desegregate schools. Public schools today remain highly segregated by race and, sadly, also by socioeconomic status. The unintended consequences could be remedied if it were not for hypocritical politicians who for decades have turned their backs on their constituents and sided with the teachers unions. Rather than relying on forced integration, which hasn’t worked, our true hope lies in educational freedom.
Research from Stanford University reveals a troubling rise in school segregation over the last thirty years, particularly in the largest public school districts that predominantly enroll students of color. From 1991 to 2019, the segregation gap between Black and white students widened significantly. This trend is particularly noticeable in districts with at least 2,500 Black students, where the rise corresponds to a 25 percent jump from previously low segregation levels. The situation is even more severe in the nation’s 100 largest school districts, home to nearly four in ten Black students, where segregation surged by 64 percent.
This ongoing segregation is not enforced by law; rather, it is a consequence of a complex interplay of socioeconomic factors, residential zoning patterns, and educational districting that consistently disadvantages marginalized communities.
New Jersey public schools are currently embroiled in a lawsuit concerning segregation in the state’s public schools. Central to this legal challenge is the state’s residency law, which relegates students to schools based on ZIP codes. Rather than promoting educational freedom, I am sure the court will opt to explore solutions to desegregate schools without overhauling the existing system. I wish we’d learn from history. Putting more money into a broken system has not improved public education`.