“Separate but Equal.” Over one hundred years ago in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), the United States Supreme Court of the 19th Century announced this notorious doctrine. It took over fifty years before our highest Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), that states could not segregate their public schools. Yet now, in the 21st Century, we have not realized the promise of Brown, nor even the doctrine of Plessy. America’s schools are Separate, but Unequal.

School boards are facing momentous pressure to adopt controversial reforms. School administrators and teachers are fighting to do their best with what resources they have. Civil rights litigators are pressuring courts to improve the institution of education. As 21st Century education heads in
new directions, it is important not to forget the troubled history of race and education.

Educational inequality robs disadvantaged students of the opportunity for full participation in our society. We may not all agree on what solution is best, but we agree that we must do something. Our children have waited long enough.

The Michigan Journal of Race & Law invites you to confront—through several working sessions—how race is intricately woven into the Status of America’s Public Schools.

• What is the continuing relevance of integration in our schools?
• How will vouchers, charter schools, and other reform measures affect children in urban schools?
• How can our legal system support educational transformations?