1 ) The “separate but equal” argument was used to deny African Americans’ rights in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. This ideology aimed to maintain the division of Blacks and Whites. This became especially apparent among students as the events in the case of Brown v. Board of Topeka developed. The two main reasons that helped Brown v. Board of Education to overturned the Plessy doctrine were the Fourteenth Amendment provision that all children have a right to a free public education. The Constitution, which was created to defend the underserved, marginalized, and segregated children, is the other contributing reason. It mandated that all students receive equal educational opportunities in schools, regardless of their gender, economic situation, racial or ethnic heritage, religious affiliation, or immigrant status. The Plessy Doctrine was rejected in the Brown v. Topeka decision because it was far from holding the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Constitution. Children from any race were able to enroll in any school following this important case.
Books and resources that support educators’ instruction should be the foundation of schools along with socialization, which is a crucial, and beneficial for children so they can learn how to get along and cooperate with one another, among other advantages. During the time of Brown it was a big socialization issue as many White parents, did not want their children to interact with children of color. But it was also a books and resources issue as schools for Black students were old, dilapidated, lacking books and resources. This is something that is less common now. Nowadays, socialization-based learning is the main focus of schools. We want kids to participate in class discussions, work in groups, and share their languages, cultures, and traditions, to name a few. Thus, socialization is now the main focus of education in schools. This is not to argue that all schools completely ignore socialization in favor of books and resources, but it does imply that some do.
Take Texas as an example, where key details are left out of some texts. This is an obvious illustration of how some states get away with taking such acts that are not in the best interests of students and are therefore in violation of the Constitution’s equal opportunity clause. In our modern times, we can find overcrowded schools or schools not following IEPs or 504 plans. Other schools are found to lack the books children need to supplement their learning or other schools’ resources. This and other actions or inactions from school districts provide the vivid reality that many students like in schools where equal opportunities are not on the menu. Yen
2) Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court decision that established the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal’ doctrine in 1896. Plessy was a case that was brought to the court by African American to protect their rights against segregation. In this court decision, the 14th Amendment rights of African Americans were ignored, as the Court upheld state laws that denied them their rights. The “separate but equal” doctrine allowed the use of segregation laws by state and local governments. The phrase “separate but equal” was created by the Court’s decision that argued that separate rail cars for white and African Americans were equal, as required by the Equal Protection Clause.
It wasn’t until 1954 that the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in the Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court ruled that the “separate but equal” doctrine was considered unconstitutional in educational facilities and public schools. This decision was considered a victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
When discussing the functions of education, it stresses that education fulfills a variety of needs in society. The socialization theory refers to the ongoing process of learning expected behaviors, norms, values, and social skills of individuals who occupy particular roles in society. “If children are to learn the norms, values, and skills they need to function in society, then education is a primary vehicle for such learning”. Another function of education is social integration, where people believe in a common set of beliefs and values.
Based on these sociological perspectives on education, it would be very difficult to ignore these social components in school and just have students concentrate on books and learning. It should be a working combination of the two. Schools should provide students not only with subject knowledge, but also the social skills necessary to build connections with their school and community. Door
3) Plessy v. Ferguson implemented an era of de jure education, one in which transportation and schools, and pretty much all aspects of our society could separated for Negroes and whites as long as both races had things that were separate but equal. Under the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka the concept of de jure education was found to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court felt that children of a minority group were deprived of equal education opportunities in spite of equal facilities and other “tangible factors,” (LaMorte, 2002). The Supreme Court further went on the state that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has not place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” (LaMorte, 2002).
I think there is something to be said for the idea that school is based on the theory of socialization but it is also a place to focus on books and resources.In the discussion of Brown v. Board of Education in LaMorte (2002) the Supreme Court states that, “education is the most important function of state and local governments. … It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.” I think this statement looks to both the importance of socialization in schools. It is where students learn how to interact with peers, discuss ideas, learn how to offer differing opinions in a respectful manner in addition to a variety of other things. This statement also speaks to the importance of an education helping to prepare for later professional training. We need books and resources to help provide even the most basic of educational skills necessary for our students to be successful later in life. Maureen
4) In 1954 the United States Supreme Court reversed the Plessy doctrine stating that “in the field of education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ had no place.” (LaMorte, 2021) It is true that within a school that is separated based on race, that there could be no equality there. As a result, the Court ruled that the plaintiffs were being “deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.” Access to any and all educational facilities would mean equality for all. Despite the times and the reactions from Whites, it is imperative to understand that the idea of “Separate but equal” was never about equality, but rather to encourage separation among races.
I don’t agree that school is primarily based on the theory of socialization, but rather I feel there is a part of schooling that does focus (as it should) on socialization. There are many elements that go into education and socialization is one of them. However, the other parts are learning based: reading, writing, arithmetic, health, social studies, etc. Learning how to absorb, analyze and discuss the information is an important part of the educational process from preschool to college. If socialization was the key component of education we may have never seen a separation of races as the key model of schools was just to “focus on books.” Rather, this move was encouraged by the people to lessen the opportunity of white children to socialize with African American children. Sara
5) In the case of Brown v. Board of Education, the case was the consolidation of four cases from four separate states relating to the segregation of public schools by race. In each of the cases, African American minors had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. The plaintiffs (Brown et. al.), argued that segregation in schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The plaintiffs were denied relief based on the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the “separate but equal” that stated separate facilities for the races was constitutional as long as the facilities were equal. However, in the Delaware case, the Federal court ruled that the African American students had to be admitted to the white public schools because of their superiority to the Negro schools (LaMorte, 2012).
Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the opinion of the unanimous Court. The case ruling boiled down to the fact that intangibles must be considered, specifically the social factors that play a large role in education, and not the tangible factors such as facilities, curriculum or teachers. As Justice Warren points out “there are findings below that the Negro and white schools involved have been equalized, or are being equalized, with respect to buildings, curricula, qualifications and salaries of teachers, and other ‘tangible’ factors. Our decision, therefore, cannot turn on merely a comparison of these tangible factors in the Negro and white schools involved in each of the cases. We must look instead to the effect of segregation itself on public education” (LaMorte, 2012). The Supreme Court therefore held that “separate but equal” facilities are inherently unequal and violate the protections of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and held that the segregation of public education based on race created an imbalance and inferiority, and thus impeded the education and personal growth of African American children.
I do not agree that school is primarily based on socialization. Access to resources such as books are fundamental assets to education. When I was in high school I was a part of the common ground program where students from all different areas learned about one another’s school and it culminated in spending a day at the other school. My school was a suburban school and I visited an urban school in Hartford Ct. I realized that these students did not even have access to books in the classroom, whereas we had not only a class set but books to take home. The students had to share extremely old books, some missing key pages and there were no supplies provided by the school in the classroom. The students shared how difficult it was to learn in that environment and in most classes, students did not do the work. This has been ingrained in my brain, as I realized what an advantage I had in the school district I was going to. It popped right into my head as this question was asked. While socialization is important, it is also equally important for students to have access to the materials they need to learn. Ash