Educational Segregation

This assignment is worth 50 points. This paper should be typed in 12pt Times New Roman font double-spaced. If you are submitting it as an attachment, please submit it as either a .docx or .doc file extension. It is to be submitted on Blackboard on the dates indicated on the syllabus. This assignment should be a minimum of 3 pages in length. You must attempt all questions. You will lose points if you don’t cite sources, in-text, using APA format (for citations), and provide references. Bold key terms.

Part 1. (25 points)

Before beginning it would be a good idea to review chapters 7-8 of the Fitzgerald text and view this clip about educational segregation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8pwm7GK0BM

Part 1. (20 points)

Describe the racial composition of the neighborhood that you live in or grew up in. If it is close to mono-racial (almost all white or almost all Hispanic etc. for instance), explain why that might be. To what extent do you think this is intentional? Provide some evidence to support your assumption. (Conduct web searches for reports of racist activity e.g. KKK; redlining, white flight, discriminatory bank practices; think about community stories you may have heard, and so forth.)
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey offers an interactive map of the racial demographics of every census block in the United States. You can click here to see how racially segregated your city/neighborhood is. The interactive map offers the option of looking at Race and Ethnicity, Income, Housing and Families and Education.

b. What can be said about segregation along class and economic lines?

c. Does the racial discrimination have any correlation with class segregation? How?

d. Do you see differences between regions in the United States? e.g. North, South, Midwest, East Coast. What do you think may account for regional differences in racial segregation?

Part 2. (10 points)

In what way does the community you grew up in or live in differ from communities with a different racial composition? In other words, if it is a predominantly white neighborhood, how is it different from predominantly black neighborhoods that you know of? Why do you think your parents chose your particular neighborhood?
In what ways do you benefit today, or what disadvantages do you face today, which can be linked to the racial composition of your childhood community?
Part 3. (20 points)

Education has been an increasingly important prerequisite for employability in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. A high school, and increasingly, a college degree has become the minimum entry-level requirement for employment. However, opportunities for high-quality education are not distributed equally across the populations. Take a look at the following link that shows (i) states with the most segregated public schools and (ii) shifts in segregation from years 1954 – 2011.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/15/school-segregation-civil-rights-project/9115823/

How has educational segregation changed over time for African Americans?
Has the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) been effective in eliminating educational segregation in schools? Why or why not?
What do you think should be done to address housing and educational segregation today in the United States?