Courting Unfulfilled Promises

I'm an editor, not a blogger. And I often cringe at the lengthy prose of many blog posts, saying to myself, "they sure could use a good editor." But the recent Supreme Court ruling on race and schools has brought out the blogger in me. First, I do respect our justice system, the Supreme Court, its justices, their decisions and all. But I can't help scoff at the futility of this decision in light of what many refer to as "the promise of Brown."

In 2004 there were celebrations all over to mark the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board, the landmark 1954 desegregation case. Many books were published and conferences held. As associate editor of a higher education magazine at the time, I helped guide the publication down this road, interviewing the Brown plaintiffs, school officials in Topeka, Kan., scholars and activists that were involved then and now.

But what stood out among the commemorations and celebrations was the reality that after 50 years, the promise of Brown had not yet been realized. The court had ruled in 1954, but it took until the mid-1970s for the public to begin to act and then, only after court orders, much like the court-ordered desegregation ruling in Louisville, which along with Seattle's integration plan, prompted yesterday's High Court decision. And still, even after 30 years of court-mandated desegregation efforts, the consensus among educators was that there was still more to be done.

Thanks to yesterday's ruling, however, it will have to be done some other way. Even though the ruling allows for a limited use of race, which has sparked hope among some, to put that limitation into practice will take more resolve than many will demonstrate. If the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling on race and college admissions, Grutter v. Bollinger, is any indication-and it is-many of those who have started to act will now start to retreat. Soon after that ruling, race-conscious programs all over the country began folding, in fear of potential lawsuits.

Brown's reality of a quality education for all seems less likely in court rulings and more so in the voluntary actions of a public that is truly and deeply committed to this goal. I see more of Brown's reality in innovative school reform efforts, such as charter schools and public school choice, which have their drawbacks but are initiated in a spirit of free will and not obligation. And I see more of Brown's reality in the D.C. mayor's radical move to charge someone with nontraditional, but proven experience with the task of turning around a struggling public school system. I recognize that these efforts have to be proven, but after 50 plus years of waiting for the promise of Brown, I'm ready to put my hopes in something else.

- Posted by Robin V. Smiles, Editor, Education Sector