Impact of Vestiges of De Jure Segregation on Student Achievement Gaps in Pitt County, North Carolina

This book explores the impact of past practices of de jure racial segregation on student achievement gaps in Pitt County, North Carolina. The author presents information for a discussion of how we can reform public education and close student achievement gaps. After the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Brown v. Board of Education pronounce the end to legal segregation in public education in the United States, White resistance to desegregation caused major delay in the full implementation of school desegregation. The level of resistance was much greater than expected by social scientist who predicted that students would achieve equity if officials fully implemented the law with due diligence and reasonable care. Instead, school officials took action to eliminate Black Teachers and School Administrators and worked to consolidate power and develop new systems of segregation within the public school system. One major area of reform where resistance was significant is in the area of curriculum and instruction. Failure to acknowledge past and present achievement of Blacks and identify their contributions to human civilization is a major contributor to why achievement gaps remain. Until the classical achievements of Black people are acknowledged in public school curriculum negative stereotypes will remain. These negative stereotypes are acted out in classrooms across the nation resulting in high student suspension rates, high drop out rates, low academic performance, poor self-esteem, and other negative factors that disproportionately impact Black students. The United States is losing its competitive advantage in the global community because of the failure of its public educations. The author argues the failure of American public education is a consequence of the heritage of racism and false doctrines of White Supremacy which continue to tare apart our society and results in our declining leadership in the free world. The greatest single threat to our Democracy is our failing public schools. Read more