The Brown vs. Board of Education trial not only affected the educational system but also affected every other aspect of society, regardless of a person’s race or ethnicity. The years following the court case resulted in dramatic changes within the nation as a whole. After Brown, the Civil Rights Act in 1964 was established and clearly made it illegal to discriminate against individuals because of their race, color, religion, sex, or origin. Since then, the Civil Rights Act has been a reference for new laws that have been passed to prevent unconstitional discrimination. Although laws were passed to prevent discrimination, people outside of the culture of power still struggle to gain the same equality.
Even though Brown has had great significance, clearly there are problems of segregation in education. Such problems were highlighted in previous blogs. When considering the times and what the future job market demands “will require skills possessed by only 22 percent of the young people entering the job market now […]which require technology literacy” (Moses, p.9). When considering the current abilities of students, particularly those in urban youth, they are at a disadvantage. It is always important to obtain the best education because the more education one receives; the more potential an individual has to succeed. The youth of today face a problem in that the current the educational curriculum is not providing them with the best education because “large percentages of children in the delinquency system and adults in the criminal system are severely undereducated, and literacy skills in these populations are strikingly low” (p.12).
The Brown vs. Board of Education was by far one of the most important cases that had legacies and effects on education. Fifty years after the Brown decision some might believe segregation has banished; in reality, segregation does still exist. As stated in another blog, literacy is of great debate because of the increasing number of those who cannot perform at their grade level but we tend to forget about the students failure in Math and Science.
Standardized tests have been created to test student’s intelligence and cognitive abilities. Present statistics show that white American male students are more successful and have access to Prep courses and typically perform better in Math and Science. Ironically the students that need the most support in these tests and subjects (Women, Latinos, African American, etc…) are the same ones that have the least access to the courses and or are encouraged to focus on other things. I hope to teach in a bilingual setting in an urban area, where I will encounter Latino students. When considering what Robert Moses argues in “Algebra and Civil Rights?” literacy in Math is imperative to social justice because it makes minority students the “serfs of the information age” (p.11). Students have to be not view failing math as hip but instead as a detrimental factor to their future. He brings up a good point in which I agree that as educators we shouldn’t put constraints or limits on what any group of children might learn and not feed into notions about culture groups (p.15). Computers involve mathematical and scientific knowledge. It is imperative that I prepare disadvantaged students to be math/science literate and provide them with opportunities to develop critical skills in these areas. My work in terms of redressing the historic denial of subjects to particular groups is a process which will require me to develop a safe classroom community where students will be willing to take risks and know that they have support.
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