Not long ago, public schools were segregated, and fewer resources were allocated to the schools that served children of color, since it was not expected that they would go on to hi^ier education or get jobs that required education. In 1954, the Supreme Court decided that school segregation a denial of equal rights under the law. Since then, white children and children of color have slowly been brou^it together under the same school roofs. However, in recent years, many whites have fled to the residendally segregated suburbs, and city “neighboiiiood schools'* receive far less allocation of resources.

The real problem regarding segregation involved the quality of education received by minorities compared with whites. American public school systems rely heavily on local property taxes for their money. The (light of wealthy families to the largely segregated white suburbs, the failure of government to take steps to control urban blight, and the movement of business and industry out of central dty areas have all contributed to school fiscal crises.

Despite the increasing minority enrollment in central city schools, whites predominate in the running of most schools. White school board, superintendent, principals, and teachers don’t understand and view as alien those minority children’s background, culturc, and everyday life experiences, therefore, learning is unlikely to take place when understanding and respect are lacking.

Textbooks and other curricular materials don’t reflect the multiracial character of the US socicty. Social studies texts ignored the history and present status of minorities, and implied that only whites have said or done anything worth learning about. This reinforced minority feelings of racial isolation and inferiority.

Minority group children have hi^ier suspension, expulsion, and dropout rates than their white counteiparts. Fewer students of color go on to higher education. All these outcomes, in return, intensify the economic disadvantage chat people of color face in the labor market.