Wednesday | June 11, 2014

As we mark the sixtieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the promise of that historic decision remains unfulfilled. The progress that had been made toward the desegregation of American schools has not simply stalled, but is increasingly being reversed across the nation. Today, the schools of New York are the most segregated in the nation, and the schools of California are the most segregated for Latino students. What is worse, contemporary segregation has grown in intensity, as racial segregation and class segregation have been combined in growing numbers of schools that serve only African-American and Latino children living in poverty. Our panel will examine the landscape of the struggle for educational justice in the light of this trend toward intensified racial and economic segregation, and offer their thoughts on how America could find its way back to the ‘freedom road,’ with diverse, quality schools befitting a democratic society.

Speakers:
John C. Brittain, Professor, David A. Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia
Ernest Green, Partner, Matrix Advisory; Member, "Little Rock Nine"; Albert Shanker Institute Board Member
Lani Guinier, Bennett Boskey Professor of Law, Harvard Law School.
Richard D. Kahlenberg, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation; Albert Shanker Institute Board Member
Michael J. Petrilli, Executive Vice President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Moderator: Leo Casey, Executive Director, Albert Shanker Institute
Sponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute and the American Federation of Teachers, this conversation series is designed to engender lively and informative discussions on important educational issues. We deliberately invite speakers with diverse perspectives, including views other than those of the AFT and the Albert Shanker Institute. What is important is that these participants are committed to genuine engagement with each other.

Materials