School Desegregation

[1vegan]

Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/29/ap3870309.html)

School Desegregation

seattle PI (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/321799_raceside29.html)
Reaction within Supreme Court among sharpest


*sighs deeply *

Does some one has a opinion on this?

What will this mean for the U.S ?

Am I wrong for thinking I might as well give up hoping that things will get better in the U.S ? (with this supreme court?)

*maybe I'm a bit bitter today some how :o

[Gliondrach]

I'm not sure what this is about. Is it illegal to refuse a pupil a place in a school because of their colour? If it is, will this now allow schools to discriminate against people who are the wrong colour for their colour scheme? I thought that all went out in the 60s.

It would be simplest if pupils went to their nearest school, regardless of what colour they are. I suppose the ideal would be to have the same mix in a school as there is in the country. But that would mean bussing pupils miles to keep the ratios right. Is that what happens now, to make sure that a school in a black area is not all black and a school in a white area is not all white? Does the US have large areas with only one colour living in them?

[1vegan]

As I understand it, it was normal to sent some kids to other schools, so school population would be mixed.

But with that regulation, it could also mean white people couldn't choose to sent their kid to a mainly white school.

This ruling has overturned that, so, as it looks to me, parents are free to choose to which school to sent their kids.... which will most likely bring back "all white" and "all black" schools?

Which would enlarge the separation between coloured people and whites?

There seems to be so much "hate" in the U.S already (towards coloured (and poor) people), to me that's the under lying theme in the whole illegal immigrants discussion.... some don't want coloured people :(

[Gliondrach]

I don't have any experience of being in a school with people of a different colour. Everyone in my school was white. In those days there were very few black or Asian people in my part of the country. It was a Catholic school that only took Catholic pupils. The few black people will have been Protestants probably. The Asians will have been Moslem, Sikh or Hindu. Nearly everyone was from a poor, working class background. There were only three middle class lads in the school. One of them left in the first year to go to grammar school - which is where the middle class children usually went. I, personally, didn't care that it was a school for the working class. It never occurred to me. No one went to university from my school.

But, in America, it is different. There is probably still a lot of discrimination in jobs. Black pupils might get a worse education in an all-black school if it is not given good teachers and resources.

[Charmagne]

My Father was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery Alabama in the mid sixties. I attended Robert E. Lee Jr. High School. Of course we had the biggest racist of all time - George Wallace for Governor. I remember the first day that black students were bussed into our school. They didn't want to be there so they staged a sit-in. They sat in front of the classrooms and in the doorways so the white students couldn't go to their classrooms. When I approached one of my classroom doors I was asked by a black "where you going honkey" to which I replied "no where" and I turned tail and went back out front of the school.:rofl: We were taken back home that first day by the busses. The next day the police were brought into the school and both black and white students were sent to their classes - those that didn't go to class were taken to jail.

It was really a scarey situation for a young person to have to deal with as I had never been in a situation where there was trouble with blacks, whites, or other races. In the Air Force all people are the same and that's the way I was brought up. Being stationed in Alabama was probably the worst place we were stationed. Everyday there was trouble with blacks and whites fighting.

This is really stupid - especially in these times. There should be no racial problems anymore. It seems like we should be past this but I guess some people never will be - especially in the states like Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and the lower east coast. This really will be a step backwards in my opinion.

[Fauxmage]

As long as the neighborhoods are segregated, the schools will be. I am not in favor of either denying a student's right to attend his school of choice, or forcing him to attend a school not of his choice, just because of his color. I did go to a very racially mixed school, and I don't think it made a damn bit of difference to any of the races, since we all lived in economically segregated neighborhoods. School is a temporary situation for students, and the stuff they need to learn about tolerance isn't taught or learned in the school environment, no matter how integrated and diverse it is. Its taught and learned in the community that student is a part of, which is often a lifetime situation, especially if your family and neighbors are amongst the most economically poor communities.

[my3labs]

When I was in middle school in California (late 70's) I was bussed because of desegregation laws, but I was bussed to a mostly white school. It was ridiculous. I sat on a bus for 45 minutes each way to go to a school that was no different from what I was used to.
I do NOT believe in government controlled desegregation. Whether the kid is black or white, I don't think it's fair to take them out of their environment and "ship" them to a different school. I believe in "charter" schools where any child can choose the school they want to go to.
Don't get me started on public education.:soap:

[Charmagne]

Don't get me started on public education.:soap:

I agree about public schools. I was lucky in that we went from Alabama to Germany where they had great teachers. I went to Kaiserslautern American High School until we left and I finished my high school in Texas. I attended a total of 15 schools during my Father's stay in the Air Force. This counts moving to Hattiesburg, MS everytime he went remote. I feel lucky that I didn't have to graduate in Mississippi.

This was sad because when you got a little bit settled and had finally made some friends you got orders to go somewhere else. That's the reason I don't have any long standing friendships. I mean you always leave saying you will keep in touch and you do for a while then finally stop.:(

my3labs - do you girls go to public schools?

[my3labs]

Kristin is 20 and has been out of the public education system for two years but Sarah is still in (for one more year). They're both bright kids, as is my stepson. My stepson, Aaron, is borderline genius (like his dad) but is failing his way through high school. He is in a private tutor program in addition to regular school because his teachers won't teach him. His grades have gone up tremendously since being in the private tutor program so it proves to me that once again, even the smart kids, with no help from the teachers can do poorly.
The girls would tell me repeatedly over the years that if they raised their hand, the teacher would tell them to ask a buddy. What the hell are my taxes paying for if not to teach my kids?
I don't know a single person that is happy with the current system.
I know this is a very touchy subject and many people feel differently about teachers but our experience has not been a pleasant one. I say make it a competitive "business" instead of a government controlled entity and it will thrive. Charter schools are the way to go.

[my3labs]

My kids go to a pretty affluent school and they still have a drop out rate of close to 50%. There's something seriously wrong with what they're doing now.

Anyway, off topic...veganism and public education can get me talking.