Many ideological schools of thought in American society would probably want the populace to think that segregation in the public education system is a thing of the past.
However, according to new data from a report by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO), re-segregation in America’s public school systems is increasing steadily. In addition to that, the number of schools serving poverty-stricken black and Hispanic neighborhoods has doubled over the course of the 21st century.
Today, almost 20 percent of the nation’s K-12 public schools are institutions that are predominantly attended by minority children. For the most part, these schools are in distressed communities and are under-performing academically.
Additionally, the majority of these schools do not offer learning environments, which are helping these children become proficient in math, science, and other high-demand subjects that properly prepare them for the modern future.
A Sunday (June 5th) report by the Washington Post’s editorial board accurately summed up the situation of re-segregation in America’s during these modern times. The Post editorial board wrote the following in their report on this issue:
“Put another way, 62 years after the Supreme Court acted to end segregation in public education, U.S. schools in the 21st century are rapidly resegregating — a function of widening disparities in wealth, entrenched housing patterns and policies, and disparate allocations of funding by government at all levels.” (The Washington Post)
The GAO is a watchdog agency, which is sanctioned by the U.S. Congress. Its primary job is to make sure that the U.S. Department of Education is doing its due diligence regarding funding, infrastructure, and other critical issues.
The GAO’s sobering report on re-segregation in American public schools also prodded the U.S. Department of Education to do a better job of observing and exposing racial disparities going on in school districts.
The GAO’s report also urged the U.S. Department of Justice to follow up on a vast number of age-old court orders that involved legitimate claims of illegal re-segregation by U.S. school districts.