Courtesy the NY Times

Integration in public schools? Didn’t that already happen in the 1950s?

While some might argue that Brown v. Board ended the debate on racial integration, other critics argue that the situation has actually become much worse than it was in ‘54.

Today, 40% of Latino students and 30% of Black students attend schools where they are 90-100% of the student body.

So what do we do? With studies showing that the “minority” will actually become the majority in the 2040s, it would be best to figure this challenge out before then. As the CEO of Denver SST Public Schools argues,

“The United States is rapidly becoming a majority-minority country. Learning certain skill sets is imperative in order to live and work successfully with people who look different from ourselves, and it is critical that we begin to deliberately prepare our young people for this reality.

Effectiveness in our colleges and universities, our workplaces, and in public leadership will require it.”

Not buying it? A recent study by the Century Foundation found that low-income students (where there is disproportionate concentration of Latinos and Blacks) achieve more success in better school environments. The report cited that those in who had the opportunity to study at more affluent schoolsperformed nearly two years ahead of their low-income peers who studied in high-poverty schools.

Think integration is important? Is this an effective way to teach America’s youth how to appreciate cultural and ethnic diversity? If so, how best can further school integration be managed?