Hyper-Segregation In Schools Case Study

It has been sixty-two years since the United States Supreme Court declared de jure segregation of schools a violation of the United States Constitution, and sixteen years since the Connecticut State Supreme Court declared that the de facto segregation of Hartford Public School students was denying racially segregated students an equal educational opportunity. Despite these rulings, a majority of public schools in Connecticut is racially segregated, and a large number of schools are racially hyper-segregated. It is an indictment of our national character that many people view the institutionalized, de facto segregation of public school students as “normal,” when in fact the system is failing to provide students the skills necessary for success
Furthermore, efforts to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation in hyper-segregated elementary schools were ineffective with respect to providing hyper-segregated White and hyper-segregated Minority students the opportunity to learn from and with diverse teachers and students. Thus, we must acknowledge the following realities: (1) While the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court ended de jure segregation, the federal government has not effectively addressed that rampant institutionalized de facto segregation in many states. (2) In Connecticut, while institutionalized de facto segregation has been recognized as unconstitutional, and further recognized as a contributing factor to the low academic performance of Minority students, the policies and practices deriving from legislative action and judicial rulings have not meaningfully effected the segregation of public schools. (3) The vast majority of local efforts to address racial, ethnic and economic isolation has not meaningfully exposed students to diverse students and teachers and are, therefore, ineffective with respect to
Besides voting and advocacy work, new teachers and school leaders will not be able to create greater diversity in their schools by amending state law and local school districting policies. However, there are actions that teachers and school leaders can take to think globally and act locally. For teachers, that means capitalizing on technology and collaborating with racially, ethnically and economically isolated schools. Using social media platforms, Google Hangout and Docs, Facetime, and other virtual presence technologies, it is relatively easy for students in segregated classroom to learn from and with each other. If teacher preparation programs equip aspiring teachers with the technological skills, ability to design units of study and lessons that capitalize on online learning platforms, and the willingness to partner with colleagues in segregated schools and classrooms, aspiring teachers will leave their teacher preparation programs with the skills and knowledge necessary to expose their students to diverse students and teachers. Similarly, in our educational leadership programs, if we equip aspiring school leaders with knowledge of the problem and the skills necessary to do something about the problem, we will be preparing future leaders with the ability to design and lead