Equal Opportunity in Education and the Brown vs. Board of Education Case

Sixty-two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional. The decision from the Plessy v. Ferguson case was lawfully denounced by the Brown v. Board of Education. The Brown case, which was initiated by the members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as a stimulus for challenging segregation in all areas of society, especially in public educational institutions. Among the support for the desegregation in school systems, there was a young yet compelling voice who was heard by numerous ears in the rural city in Farmville, Alabama. The virtuous and determined Barbara Johns, who was only a high school student then led her tiny, hovel-like school’s student body and the Farmville community to file a lawsuit in the hope of terminating the inequality in regards to the educational system.

The book “Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents” is Waldo E. Martin’s observation on not just the landmark case of Brown v. Board but also the institutionalized racism that was overcome to get there. It also documents other cases that Brown v. Board built upon to get the decision that challenged “separate but equal”. In this text Martin gives a glimpse into not just what the court order did from a legislative standpoint, but from a human standpoint, what happened to the people, community, and society in general both prior and in the wake of the of this monumental decision.

The Brown v. Board of Education was a case that was initiated by members of the local NAACP (National association Advancement of Colored People) organization in Topeka, Kansas where thirteen parents volunteered to participate of the segregation during school. Parents took their children to schools in their neighborhoods in the summer of 1950 and attempted to enroll them for the upcoming school year. All students were refused admission and were forced to attend one of the four schools in the city for African Americans. For most parents and students, this involved traveling some distance from their homes. These parents filed suit against the Topeka Board of Education on behalf of their twenty children. Oliver Brown who was a minister, was the first parent to suit against the problem, so the case came to be named after his last name. Three local lawyers, Charles Bledsoe, Charles Scott and John Scott, were assisted by Robert Carter and Jack Greenberg from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case that was decided by the Supreme Court of America in 1954. It is a case that is believed to have brought to an end decades of increasing racial segregation that was experienced in America’s public schools. The landmark decision of this case was resolved from six separate cases that originated from four states. The Supreme Court is believed to have preferred rearguments in the case because of its preference for presentation of briefs. The briefs were to be heard from both sides of the case, with the focus being on five fundamental questions. The questions focused on the attorneys’ opinions about whether Congress viewed segregation in public schools when it ratified the 14th amendment (Benoit, 2013). Changes were then made to the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

The Brown v. Board of Education of 1954 is known for desegregating public schools in the U.S. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled “in the field of public education the doctrine of separate but equal had no place” (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954). It was the 1st major educational policy. The Court’s decision in Brown created not just desegregation strategies, but also instructional approaches such as Title I programs, magnet schools, and bilingual and multicultural education (Contreras & Valverde, 1994).

The educational system has been around for thousands of years, and throughout time, there have always existed equality issues. From girls not being able to attend school as far as the boys, to children being separated into different schools because of the color of their skin, equality in education is an issue that has plagued humanity for far too long. Throughout the years, there have been some important decisions made in an effort to afford equality in education. Perhaps, as we move forward in our thinking and beliefs, we may find a way to make education a right that everyone who has the desire to grow through knowledge should be afforded, regardless of circumstance.

Supreme Court cases are cases in which their is so much controversy in the case that it needs to be handled by the Supreme Court of the United States or SCOTUS. Brown v. The Board of Education is a very intrical part of our United States history. This Supreme Court case desegregated public schools in the United States in 1954. The case involved saying no to African American children equal rights to state public schools due to the laws requiring racial segregation. Oliver Brown, an African American, had an eight year old daughter who was attending school as a fifth grader and he started noticing the lack of the Plessy v. Fergusson case how everyone is

The Brown V. Board of Education was one of the biggest rulings that was made in the United States still to this day. After the slaves were given rights which happened because of emancipation proclamation many of the African American child were still going to all black schools. Over some time the Supreme Court ruled that black and white students are separate but equal. This means that black students had the same rights but they had to be in a different school than white students. The biggest problems of school separation occurred in the south. There was then a case, Brown V. Board of Education, that called school segregation unconditional. Many of the Governors from southern states rejected the ruling. When looking at the article that had changed

Even though most people only know of the famous Brown v. Board of Education case, many other cases also took a major part in overturning the harsh laws that African Americans faced for a long period of time in this country. Brown v. Board of Education was the most important Supreme Court decision of the 20th century (National Park). Without this case, the education system and other segregated facilities might not have ever changed through the course of history (Kirk). Not only was this one person fighting the Board of Education, but it consisted of multiple cases put together to take to the Supreme Court. This shows that lots of people had the same feeling towards the subject at hand. These various cases and the people involved in each

The Brown v. Board of Education Court Case served as a highlighted issue in black history. Brown v. Board help different races comes together in public schools. This case became very big 1950s lots of attention was drawn to the case at that time. News reporter and critics had different views and opinions about this case. This case in 1954 causes lots of issues and views towards the black race. The quote “separate but equal” is vital due to “Plessy v. Ferguson” and the famous lawyer Thurgood Marshall who argued this case, and the success of this case itself.

Today’s education system has its problems, one of the problems being equal education to everyone. This is a problem that can be seen in the more poverty areas in the United States. Most schools in poverty areas have older materials to work with, teachers who are less passionate about their jobs, are not being taught the humanities, and many of the schools are shutting down from poor conditions and low attendance.

Education is a valuable service in society that strengthen a workforce, a nation and bring forth awareness. Why should this be limited based on race or because of economic reasons, the quality should represent where the schools are located, if they are public? The Public School system belongs to society and those who contribute to what supports the education system. In choosing Brown v. Board of Education, a case which continues to have a great impact to this day, taking into consideration what was occurring at the time is how this case can be fathom. Today, equality is flawed, but far from the injustices of the 50s. However, steps such as the case of Brown v. Board of Education, others alike, and they were more than a court cases; the revolution needed for change. “On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal” (The Learning Network, 2012).

The desegregation of schools in segregated communities is useless. In fact, the implications of economic segregation are synonymous to those of racial segregation. Therefore, to fight the disparities in education, Congress enacted influential federal legislation including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was designed to close achievement gaps between all students by providing each child with fair and equal opportunities to receive quality elementary and secondary educations. The goal of ESEA was to ensure that all children receive an excellent, high quality education, and that no child is left behind regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status. The law mandates that funds should be authorized for professional development, instructional materials, supporting educational programs, and promotion of parental involvement (Howell and Tavakolian,

In Samuel Bowel’s and Herbert Gintis’ Education and Inequality, Bowels and Gintis investigate how education in the United States is unequal, especially to those indivduals who are financially unstable. In today’s extremely judgmental society, many are at a disadvantage based solely on their class, race, sex, etc. The quality of one’s education is compromised for a number of unfair reasons having to do with artificial inequalities.

According to Nielsen (2013), in the United States, the government has been working hard in the due process of providing education to the children in the country. Despite the efforts that have been initiated by the United States education department, there is a problem of equity in education access around the nation. There are a good number of students who do not have the same opportunities as others when it comes to the education sector. For instance, in most cases, the quality of education that a student will get depends with their social class in the community. Those with a weak living condition are less likely to have the same quality of education as those who belong to the wealthy families. Therefore, the importance of equity, issues with sameness and the strategies suggested by Natalie (2013) and the report by the equity and excellence commission will form the basis of discussion for this paper.