This American Life, Herbert, website

This American Life, Herbert: Separate and Unequal, Brown v. Board of Education website

Argument

The reporters in “This American Life, The Problem We All Live With Part I and II” argue that integrating schools is the best way to close the achievement gap, and give black students the same access to quality education as white students. In Part I, they discussed the school district of Normandy in Missouri. Teachers in this district “didn’t care”, and the district was on probation for 15 years. The students who lived in this district would benefit from an integration program because they don’t deserve not to get a quality education just because of where they live. Everyone should have the same opportunity. The reporters placed emphasis on how obvious it is that integration works, but districts are avoiding it. In Part II, they discussed a district in Hartford, Connecticut where families could choose integrated schools, but it wasn’t forced. The students who went to the integrated schools did better than when they were at their public schools. However, since the integrated magnet schools were on a lottery, many people couldn’t get it so they were stuck at the public schools that they wanted to get away from in the first place. The reporters argued that we need people of credibility to be talking about the importance of integration so people will start taking it seriously. Instead, more work is being done to fix segregated schools instead of integrating schools because that is the more comfortable option.

Bob Herbert argues in his article, “Separate and Unequal”, that “Schools are no longer legally segregated, but because of residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities and long-held custom, they most emphatically are in reality.” People will say that schools are no longer segregated by race, when in reality, many other factors are causing that to be true. Herbert points out that many people stay away from integration because it’s difficult and because they resist bringing about issues of race. However, it has been shown in the past that integration programs are what actually help students succeed and do better. Herbert said, “Everybody’s in favor of helping poor black kids do better in school, but the consensus is that those efforts are best confined to the kids’ own poor black neighborhoods.” As it was pointed out by the reporters in This American Life, if students are surrounded by other students who are all behind in school, then they are all going to stay behind in school. It is important to take steps to help all students do well, no matter their race, economic background, district they live in, etc.

Brown v. Board of Education was a 1954 Supreme Court decision that, “stripped away constitutional sanctions for segregation by race, and made equal opportunity in education the law of the land.” Since the decision education has been made “equal” for all students. This can only be done with integration. Every student, regardless of race, should be given the opportunity to have a quality education.

I saw many connections in these pieces to Kristof’s “U.S.A., Land of Limitations?” In districts where integration programs are not an option, these students are not being given an equal opportunity at quality education. Just because they live in a certain area, they have to go to a bad school. Kristof said, “Remember that disadvantage is less about income than environment.” Some kids are stuck in a place where they see no room for improvement. They haven’t been given the opportunity to try something new or see a different way a living. There could be much better possibilities for them if they were only given the chance to explore those possibilities.

Points to Share:

This was the most eye-opening week for me. The two listening episodes especially made me think. I think it’s important to teach all kids, but especially those living in poor districts, that there is more out there. But, in order to teach that to them, there has to be opportunities for them to explore those possibilities. Integration programs are a great example of this. I loved that the listening episodes were so recent because it just shows how relevant this issue is, and that there are actions being taken to help all students.

One quote from Part II that struck me was when one girl was talking about going from 1% white high school to a 75% white college. She talked about how people were so friendly and nice and she said, “You don’t know if it’s genuine because you’re not used to it.” It’s sad to think that people have to question the kindness of people because it’s something they’ve never seen before.