THE PROMISE OF DESEGREGATION - TENDERING EXPECTATION AND REALITY IN ACHIEVING QUALITY SCHOOLING

The debates about African American children's school experiences have grown and progressed steadily since the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision. The Brown decision provides a useful framework in which to examine how well U.S. public schooling has succeeded in helpi ng African American children develop basic academic skills and in crea ting environments that foster social competencies for all children. Th is article focuses on the question: after 40 years and two to three ne w generations of African American children entering schools, have the responses of schools and society resulted in more than the appearance of change-in educational access, quality of learning outcomes, or incr eased possibilities and opportunities for academic learning and social success. Using four propositions to examine the social contexts, disc ontent, and circumstances leading to the Brown case and the ensuring i ssues, we focus on the promises of desegregation and the persistence o f repressed learning opportunities for many African American children, namely the disparity between desegregation's potential to promote equ al access and equal learning outcomes and its success in effecting cha nge.