2008 Wheelock College Winter Policy Talks
Racially-based School Placement: The Supreme Court Speaks
Monday, March 3, 2008
What is the ruling? What factors led up to the ruling? What other rulings impacted the outcome of this ruling? What does the ruling mean for schools, families?
The
Supreme Court delivered a decision on June 28, 2007 that ruled to
severely limit the use of race as a factor in school integration efforts.
Though the ruling struck down school districts’ specific plans in Seattle
and Louisville, Ky., it left schools the opportunity to enact some
narrowly tailored, race-conscious programs. The dissenting opinion argued
that school districts have successfully used race-based desegregation policies
for many years, and that the ruling would strip communities of an important
tool to prevent and combat segregation.
The keynote speaker, Stephanie C. Malone, Esq., a member of the legal team for the Jefferson County Board of Education (Louisville, Ky.), examined these issues and explored the intended and unintended outcomes of this legislation.
A panel of respondents included:
- Hope Haslam Straughan, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Wheelock College
- Paul Reville, President of the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy; Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education; Wheelock College Member of the Corporation
- Kahris White McLaughlin, Affirmative Action Officer, Cambridge Public Schools; President, METCO Inc. Board; Wheelock College Member of the Corporation.
Marta T. Rosa, M.Ed., Director of Government Affairs and Interim Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Learning at Wheelock, moderated the discussion.
