Supreme Court Sets Back Efforts to Integrate Public Schools

July 11 - 17, 2007 by Maya Harris, The Post Newspaper

On June 28, 2007, the United States Supreme Court dealt a major blow to efforts to integrate public schools. In the cases of Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, a majority of the Court struck down the voluntary integration programs used to achieve racial diversity in the Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Kentucky school districts.

In ruling those voluntary integration plans unconstitutional, the Court has thrown a hurdle in the path of local school districts seeking to create diverse learning environments for all children. And it did so at a time when public schools are more segregated than they were in 1970.

Both the Seattle and Louisville integration plans were carefully crafted and effective. They involved limited use of race in making student assignments when schools were racially imbalanced and only after other factors were considered, such as student preference, whether students had a sibling at their top choice school, whether they lived near the school. Under both plans, most kids were still able to attend their first choice school.

Nonetheless, the Court rejected the plans and, in doing so, further limited the role that race can play in making student assignments to schools. It is particularly troubling that four of the Supreme Court justices who joined in striking down the plans would eliminate virtually all effective tools for dismantling racial isolation and achieving integration in public schools.

But all is not lost.

While the Supreme Court decision was clearly a set back, it did not shut the door on all voluntary integration efforts.

Fortunately, a majority of the Court reaffirmed the fact that the government does have a compelling interest in achieving racial diversity in public schools. And the Court made clear that a range of affirmative measures, including some race-conscious measures, are still available to school districts pursuing integration and diversity in their student body.

Indeed, one of the Supreme Court justices stated: "This Nation has a moral and ethical obligation to fulfill its historic commitment to creating an integrated society that ensures equal opportunity for all of its children."

Race-conscious student assignment plans, narrowly tailored to the specific needs of local school districts, are a first step towards ensuring equal opportunity for all. They guarantee that students from all backgrounds will benefit from a diverse educational environment, which will make them better prepared to effectively function in our increasingly diverse society and global economy.

In the aftermath of this Supreme Court decision, we call on communities, school districts, and elected leaders in California and around the country to maximize the tools that remain available to achieve the important goals of equal educational opportunity and inclusion in our public schools.