Education

Author / Creator

Perkins, Linda Marie, author

Available as

Online

Summary

The author reviews the development of African American education and surveys debates over educational achievement and integration. Perkins reviews the history and prominent issues of the education ...

The author reviews the development of African American education and surveys debates over educational achievement and integration. Perkins reviews the history and prominent issues of the education of African Americans, from the Antebellum era through Reconstruction and the 20th century, detailing the divisions between North and South, primary and higher education, and curricular issues, which emphasized industrial or manual training over the classical education of the white elites. The landmark "Brown v. Board of Education" Supreme Court decision is profiled, as well as four stages of response to the case: absolute defiance from 1955 to 1959, token compliance from 1959 to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, modest integration from 1964 to 1968, massive integration after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, and resegregation beginning in the 1980s. In spite of court decisions, federal legislation, and other efforts to advance black education, much of K-12 public education is dismal and nonresponsive to the needs of African American students, and litigation and legislative actions have resulted in higher education becoming less accessible to African Americans as well, Perkins explains, citing scholars that have concluded that education, not merely educational integration, should be the central goal. Following the essay, a bibliography of recommended reading, a chronology of events from 1816 to 2004, and a glossary are provided.

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