It WAS the 50th anniversary of
Brown vs. THE board of education (1954) IN 2004...
This landmark Supreme Court case brought an end to segregated schools. Flash forward 10 years after the decision, to 1964: the achievement gap continued to stretch. Equality advocates make the claim that this is because their schools are underfunded. So Congress orders a study to see if this is why the gap remains. Many found this frivolous since everyone knew black schools were inferior; however, James S. Coleman concluded variation in resources and funds was not the issue, but the family backgrounds of black and white students, coupled with socioeconomic conditions, accounted for most of the difference. This book displays a reignited public interest in the achievement gap between black and white students and Coleman's findings.