lementary schools. Before the Brown case, Kansas law had provided for the segregation of elementary schools in communities with populations larger than 15,000. Its junior and senior high schools never had been segregated. But over much of the nation, the task would prove more difficult. That's one reason why the Supreme Court, in a lesser-known follow-up decision in 1955, issued an implementation ruling ordering a "prompt and reasonable start toward full compliance" and the achievement of school integration "with all deliberate speed." This case has made several changes in the history of African- Americans but some problems still exist. Race hatred and violence have not been completely eradicated since the Brown decision. Indeed, another type of segregation can still be seen in many schools and neighborhoods. It is known as "de facto" segregation, and it results from prejudices and stereotypes that separate our communities. Nevertheless, it was the Courts mandate in Brown v. Board of Education that forced Americans to face each other and determine if they were willing to live up to the ideals that are written in the Constitution. Today, in the nearly 40 years since Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka formally desegregated public schools, African-American youth have made enormous progress in high school completion, in better test scores, in greater college enrollment, in obtaining college degrees and in careers. On the other hand, the negative statistics tend to overlook the individual accomplishments of those who found their way around the barriers and through the closed doors. However, there are other facts, which we simply cannot avoid. First, while African-American educational attainment has improved, the amount of education needed to have a real chance in life has grown even more. Second, general trends do not reflect how really awful educational conditions are in some schools, in some regions, and for some groups, including Afri...
