Matute 1

Educational Segregation

Its History, Its Present, and Its Solution

Liana Matute

AP English Literature & Composition

Mr. Janosch

November 30, 2018

 Matute 2

Segregation in schools

Racial segregation​— t​ he intent of separating groups of peoples due to their race,

essentially creating racial superiority and hierarchy in a society. Racial segregation has been

taught about in schools throughout the U.S. for decades; students know all about Rosa Parks,

Ruby Bridges, and Martin Luther King Jr. As well as the Jim Crow Laws, and the Plessy v.

Ferguson, and the Brown v. Board of Education court cases. In today’s America, segregation

isn’t enforced by law, as it was with the “separate but equal” doctrine or with the Jim Crow

laws. However, it still exists and it’s very present. Now, a different and equally detrimental

form of segregation is present, too, in America’s society​— e​ conomic segregation.

It is true that people of color and white people have two very different experiences

when it comes to educational opportunities. The wealth gap between white people and people

of color is higher than it has ever been before.​ In 2016, the median income of white households

was 10 times larger than the median income of black households, and 8 times larger than the

median income of hispanic households. (Fottrell)​ This large gap is a result of economic

segregation, and more specifically, de facto segregation. ​De facto segregation is segregation

that is not legally enforced but is still engaged in. However, it is not always intentional.

Contrary, is de jure segregation. This type of segregation is legally enforced.

Because of employment discrimination towards black people and other people of color,

white people have historically had larger incomes. This became especially important in the late

1960s, during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. In 1968, President Johnson signed the Fair

Housing Act, allowing non-white families to move into predominantly white neighborhoods,

stimulating diversity. During this time, white people expressed extreme xenophobia.​ “Specific
 Matute 2

parental concerns include opposition to busing, fear that increasing the number of black

students in local schools will lead to residential integration, concern about a decline in

educational quality, and simple aversion to integrated education.” (Jaypal)​ These concerns

resulted in white flight and blockbusting. Landlords took advantage these parents’ fears, and

engaged in blockbusting​— ​the act of using racism to persuading homeowners to sell their

houses for little money in order for them to leave quickly, preventing them to reside around

people of color. White people started to leave urban areas and moved to suburban areas, and it

was possible because white people could afford it and black people couldn’t, due to

employment discrimination. A predominantly white neighborhood turned into a predominantly

black neighborhood in just two years. (Frisby) This was known as white flight. As a result,

neighborhoods became segregated and the schools in these neighborhoods followed,

manifesting de facto segregation. White students moved to private schools, once again, because

they could afford it, while black students stayed in public schools. This was the start of the

fusion of economic and racial segregation.

Segregation present in a learning environment has detrimental effects. In 1998,

“two-thirds of minority students still attend schools that are predominantly minority.”

(Hammond)​ 16 years later, in 2014, ​81.6%​ of white students go to a public school in which

more than half on the students are white, and 44.1% of black students attend a public school

where more than half of the students are black (Pew Research Center).
 Matute 2

​Works Cited

An, Brian P., and Adam Gamoran. “Effects of School Segregation and School
Resources in a Changing Policy Context.” ​Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis March
2016, Vol. 38, No. 1, Pp. 43–64​, journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0162373715585604.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. “Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education.” ​Brookings​, 1

Mar. 1998, www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/.

Fottrell, Quentin. “7 Charts Explain Why the Gap between the Rich and Poor Is
Highest Ever.” ​MarketWatch,​ MarketWatch, 4 Nov. 2017,
www.marketwatch.com/story/5-charts-explain-why-some-american-families-are-getting-far-ric
her-than-others-2017-10-05​.

Frisby, Bunny. “How White Flight Actually Started.” ​YouTube​, YouTube, 14 Dec.
2016, ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG1CZH5gft0​.

Jaypal, Susheela. “School Desegregation and White Flight: The Unconstitutionality of

Integration Maintenance Plans.” ​University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1987: Issue 1,
Article 16.,​ 1987,
chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=uclf