Approximately 50 years ago, "Brown v. Board of Education" was viewed by many as a turning point in American history that crystallized a national movement to eliminate state-enforced racially segregated public education. However, in recent years many parents, educators, and policy makers in education have begun to question whether…

This study analyzes public perceptions of Boston's magnet school program. Typically evaluated in terms of their impact on racial integration, magnet schools also were designed to improve the tarnished image of the Boston school system. While promoting voluntary integration at a handful of schools, the magnet program struggled to change the…

This past June, a 5-4 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court declared integration plans in Louisville and Seattle unconstitutional because of their focus on race as one factor in assigning students to schools. The Court's ruling in the "Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1" and "Meredith v. Jefferson…

Background/Context: Unlike the situation nationally where desegregation progress is faltering, the school district in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has recently undertaken measures to increase balance in pupil assignment despite considerable local opposition to these measures and the absence of a court order requiring the district to do so. Moreover,…

In this statement, the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division under the Reagan Administration proposes a method of voluntary school desegregation as an alternative to court litigation and mandatory busing. The method represents a response to the failure of previous desegregation attempts to elicit public support and provide equal…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Charting a New Course toward Racial Integration: Districts Seek Legal Routes to Capture the Benefits of Diversity (Brigid Schulte); (2) Voluntary Integration: Two Views--(a)…

Examines research demonstrating that forced busing does not guarantee equal education or raise minority achievement. Advocates a first choice, free transportation system to fulfill the intent of Brown v. Board of Education. (SK)

In rulings between 1954 and 1971, the Supreme Court always emphasized that racially segregated schools were inherently unconstitutional, although it upheld a system of student assignments that was neutral toward race. But with the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Board of Education decision of 1971, the court embarked on a new remedial course. A…

Focuses on the application of a targeted and regulated voucher system to the problems of racial segregation. Suggests that under a regulated voucher system, minorities (Chapter 1 students, in particular) have a better chance of obtaining both the racial balance and the school characteristics they desire. (Author/GC)

The 1993-94 school year marked the first year of the federally-assisted magnet program implemented by Charlotte-Mecklenberg (North Carolina) Schools (CMS). This paper presents the program's goals, the measurable objectives developed to meet the goals, and first-year outcomes. The goals were to reduce, eliminate, or prevent minority group isolation…

This report recounts the enrollment and participation of minority and nonminority students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Magnet Program. The 1994-95 school year was the second year in which federal support was received. The magnet program is part of a 5-year Student Assignment Plan that seeks to eliminate racial isolation and to…

Based on a conference held in November 1982, this document attempts to distill and include those thoughts, arguments, and data judged to be most helpful in formulating a plan for improving and expanding voluntary interdistrict school integration in New York State. The first 3 sections describe trends over 30 years in the amount of segregation,…

Presented here are the remarks of William Bradford Reynolds, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division at the Education Commission of the States National Project on Desegregation Strategies' Workshop. Reynolds states that mandatory busing and other remedial techniques to achieve racial balance in schools (measures tentatively sanctioned by…

This document is the third in a series of handbooks designed to help educators who are considering controlled choice as a possible desegregation method. The document describes the educational philosophy, curriculum, teaching methods, school organization, and grading methods of traditionally organized schools. Four schools in the northeastern…

Cites evidence that large Northern cities have resisted integration and in some cases have grown increasingly segregated. (Author/DW)