Curious on peoples thoughts.....
 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/12/04/sc....ap/index.html

Should race be allowed as a primary "factor" when allowing students to go to school?

IMO, allowing race to factor in at any level pretty much removes the idea of education in that education is about the mind, not skin tones.

So should a child be forced to go 30 minutes to school when there is a school 5 minutes from their home with ample seating, but the student doesn't have the correct skin color? And who is to say what a correct "mix" is of skin colors?

Oddly enough I heard a news report that quotes as follows: "40% of the students in the Seattle school are white while 60% are minority..." Ahh, wtf where is the math department when you need it, 60% is a minority? (btw, I get what they are trying to say).

It's a difficult question to answer. Even the Justices are having a hard time.

"More than 50 years after the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public schools, the justices struggled over one controversial outgrowth of that decision Monday. They are divided over what role race should play, if any, in competitive admissions at elementary and secondary schools. Some justices highlighted the benefits of racial diversity in the classroom, while others on the bench worried about whether the voluntary integration programs constitute illegal racial quotas. CNN

Discrimination seems to be acceptable when it’s directed at the Majority. If you are part of the Majority and question the discrimination you will be labeled a racist.

Our school district is going through this right now.

Like most places, we have been under court-ordered desegration for 30+ years, which has basically involved busing minority kids to white schools. Growing up, I wasn't really that aware of it, because I had a long bus ride too (40 minutes or so), because the schools weren't very close to where I lived.

Now, I understand that people would not want their kids shipped 45 minutes from home for the sole purpose of meeting a quota. Who would?

A few years ago, the NAACP sued our school board to end bussing. As the original party to the discrimination lawsuit in the 1960's, they had standing to settle that original lawsuit. The settlement was a "school choice" plan that other parts of the country have. In this plan, you basically are allowed to pick a school within an attendance zone (for high school, the whole county is the zone, which is like 15 high schools). Based upon a BCS-like formula that no one really understands, assignments are made. You are assigned to, hopefully, your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice.

So, the predictable result has been that people have picked the closest school to their house, with the following predictable result that the school system is becoming resegregated.

Now, the question the community is debating is this - is voluntary segregation OK?

This is a complicated question, which I don't have an easy answer for. The school choice plan here has been litigated, and has been found to be constitutional. Now, schools are naturally resegregating, but on a volunteer basis. Now, there is a question of whether that is acceptable, if that is what the parents choose.

The whole thing has sort of come full circle.

Interesting, I honeslty do not feel race should play ANY part in it, go to the closest school, why do people make it so friggin complicated?

By going to the closest school it kind of becomes segregation. So in trying not to have segregated schools here comes the quotas. Kind of a catch 22.

Yeah I don't get it, just go to the school you live closest too, I don't understand why people make things so complicated

It's because other people make things so complicated.:rolleyes:

I think school choice makes the most sense. Not everyone would go to the school closest to thier house.

For example if one school happens to consistently produce students with bette SAT/ACT scores, I could see sending my child there even if a closer (not as hilghly ranked) school is available. I'm sure other factors such as Drama programs (which was important to my oldest) may be important as not all schools offer a wide range of Drama. Obviously too, I think sports, Alumni, closeness to friends/after school care etc. are all factors that would impact choice.

I believe if a community desides to self-segregate, then it should be o.k. as long as it's truy a choice and no pressure put on peole to decide based on race