Introduction
Sociology uses concepts of race and ethnicity to develop the awareness of minority and majority groups, inequality, and stratification. Race denotes physical variances that culture and people contemplate as generally significant, while ethnicity is the shared cultural practices, beliefs, ancestry, and language. On the other hand, segregation is the act that requires separate schools, housing, and other services for people of color. After the abolition of slavery in the United States, Black Americans were marginalized via compulsory segregated access to education, housing, and opportunities. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, segregation laws were numerous because Americans believed black and white were not capable of living together. As a result, segregated and apartheid schools were developed in the United States. This essay will discuss school racial segregation in the last 50 years, the link between racial and economic segregation, and the composition of students attending public schools.
Trends in school racial segregation in the last 50 years
With the Brown v Board of Education case, the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that racial segregation in public schools was illegal. This was after all-white schools rejected Linda Brown. After this decision, some law courts allowed some districts in America to defy school desegregation. Rosa Parks’ arrest in 1954 for declining to offer her seat on the school bus to a white man marked the beginning of the civil rights movement. To make discrimination illegal, the Civil Rights Act was signed in 1964. Desegregation in schools was a gradual process that could not be attained immediately.
Between 1945 and 2001, the percentage of black students in all white schools increased from 0 to 30%. However, the law of segregation was still not recognized ten years after Brown’s ruling in the Supreme Court. It is important to note that in 1968, the Supreme Court ordered all states to abolish segregated school systems (Frankenberg et al., 2019). After this order, in 1988, almost 45% of black students in America were attending majority white schools. Since then, schools have resumed being segregated because the federal government has lost control. For example, New York has the most segregated learning institutions for black Americans, while California has the most segregated schools for Latinos.
Segregation yet persists in the twenty-first century. According to Frankenberg et al. (2019), only one-third of Americans want the federal government to step in and impose integrated schools, even though the public favors them. The United States still has many segregated schools, and apartheid education is still practiced there. Apartheid is a system of segregation in America whereby less than 1% of students are white. White learners comprise 0 to 10% of the student body in these schools. For example, in the total enrollment in AP courses at Columbia High School, white students make up 69.8% and 18.7% of black students (Frankenberg et al., 2019). Notably, as the student population in the United States is becoming more diverse, schools are still highly segregated. This is because most public schools are segregated along racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic aspects.
Today, many black studies still attend schools in economically and racially isolated areas while their families reside in regions of poverty. For example, 39% of black students are from families whose income is below the poverty line compared to 12% of white students. Instead of things getting better, school segregation has worsened, and learners are unevenly distributed, just like in the 1980s. This has caused an increasing number of schools to be mostly Hispanic or black, with a high concentration of impoverished learners. For instance, many charter schools are mostly black or Hispanic.
Racial and economic segregation
While income inequality exists, it is associated with racial segregation. For example, in areas with high levels of income inequality in the United States, there are increased proportions of the Black population located far from economic development opportunities and regional transportation networks. Frankenberg et al. (2019) note that socioeconomic inequality is experienced when there is a particularly disadvantaged position in the hierarchy of resources.
Nations with higher segregation have increased levels of social and economic inequality. This means that people from these regions cannot access equal employment opportunities, housing, or education. It is crucial to keep in mind that persons from higher socioeconomic classes always isolate themselves from other groups within the population. This is also similar to individuals from lower social classes. This is why it is possible to find a neighborhood where rich people live and schools where their children study. Therefore, ethnic segregation persists regardless of increasing income within ethnic minority and majority groups.
Minority group members face institutional barriers to employment and labor possibilities. At the same time, socio-spatial disparities occur from differences in people’s physical environment regarding access to resources, education, and services. Therefore, the features of one’s habitual environment and socioeconomic factors are closely connected. Frankenberg et al. (2019) assert that ethnic segregation can be described by combining cultural and economic measures of societal inequality. For instance, ethnic discrimination as a cultural measure increase economic inequality between ethnic groups. On the other hand, ethnic diversity in society minimizes prejudices and discrimination. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that there is a close relationship between racial and economic segregation.
Describe what the student body composition is like for an average white student, Black student, Asian student, and Latino/a student attending public school today
Between 2009 and 2021, the percentage of Hispanic students in public schools increased from 22% to 28%. On the other hand, the proportion of white learners in public schools dropped from 54% to 46%, while the percentage of black scholars declined from 17% to 15%. According to Frankenberg, Ee, Ayscue & Orfield (2019), the total registration in public secondary and public elementary schools increased from 49 million learners to 50 million learners between 2009 and 2019. However, this enrollment declined by 3% in 2020 but increased in 2021. However, due to changes in the racial and ethnic population of learners in public schools students, these numbers will drop to 47 million by 2030.
In 2020, there were 49 million learners registered in public elementary and secondary schools across the country; 22 million of them were white; 14 million were Hispanic; 7 million were returning students, and 3 million were Asian. It is important to note that these enrolment trends change with time. For example, between 2009 and 2020, the proportion of white and black learners in public schools declined from 54% to 46% and 17% to 15%.
Conclusion
In summary, segregation yet persists in the twenty-first century. The United States still has many segregated schools, and apartheid education is still practiced there. Apartheid is a system of segregation in America whereby less than 1% of students are white. White learners comprise 0 to 10% of the student body in these schools. This trend is not encouraging since it undermines the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement in fighting for equality in society. The federal government should enforce laws that will make education segregation unconstitutional in the United States.
References
Frankenberg, E., Ee, J., Ayscue, J. B., & Orfield, G. (2019). Harming our common future: America’s segregated schools 65 years after Brown. www. civilrightsproject. UCLA. edu, (research).
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