Schools work to close racial gaps, fulfill Brown’s spirit

50 years after watershed ruling, integration still takes much effort

By Stephanie Chen

The Daily Northwestern

Fifty years ago today, the Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools. But half a century later, creating a racially balanced and equal school district still requires a constant effort by Evanston school officials.

In a highly diverse community like Evanston with many minority children, equality does not magically appear without the everyday work of teachers and administrators — even years after the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision of May 17, 1954.

“Evanston is fortunate in that it is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic community,” said Lloyd Barber, a first grade teacher at Kingsley Elementary School, 2300 Green Bay Rd. “In the elementary schools you see a lot of mixture of blacks and whites. When I taught kindergarten, children really didn’t see color barrier.”

To even out racial disparities, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 buses students across the district so that individual schools do not have more than 60 percent of one race.

But the challenges go beyond the “60 percent rule.” A large gap between white and minority students still shows up in standardized test results. To close the gap, Evanston parents and school officials work together to provide a program to help children who might be lagging behind.

“The gap is closing district wide because of all the resources available to the students,” said Traci Mull, a third grade teacher at Lincolnwood Elementary School, 2600 Colfax St. “I truly believe the gap will continue to lessen.”

Busing: A mixed bag

Before the Brown decision, the schools were segregated, but now integration efforts are a high priority for many educators in District 65. The most visible part of this integration effort is the district’s policy of busing children from concentrated areas of minority students to schools outside of their community to maintain a racial balance.

But the busing program also can be a source of frustration.

Parents and teachers have watched minority children being bused every morning while non-minority children walk home.

“Busing itself is not a means to an end,” said Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd), whose ward is about 53 percent black.

Baptiste said he believes the district puts too much money and attention on busing the children in a city that is already integrated.

Although busing alone may not be the only answer to integration, it does enable the district to fulfill its 60 percent rule, said Beth Sagett the principal at Lincolnwood.

Located in the northwest corner of Evanston, Lincolnwood is surrounded by a wealthy and mostly white community, Sagett said. A majority of the minority children at Lincolnwood are bused from the Fifth Ward to preserve the 60 percent rule.

Margaret Hampton, a District 65 parent who lives in the Second Ward, has two children that are bused to Lincolnwood. She said busing creates a burden for the black community because they feel detached from the schools.

“You have a sense that you don’t own anything,” she said. “You have to drive to play at school on the weekends, you can’t just walk.”

Despite her frustrations with busing, Hampton said the longer trip pays off.

“No matter where they are going, I expect the best out of the schools,” Hampton said.

A fully integrated curriculum

Sagett said each school in District 65 ensures there is a racial balance in the classroom. She works with the teachers at her school to make sure there is an even distribution of children by academic ability and race.

“We try to make it equitable and inclusive for everyone’s needs,” she said.

Mull said she believes District 65 is doing an effective job of integrating the schools at both the district level and in the classrooms. The district provides strong academic resources for teachers to create an integrated curriculum through staff development and workshops, she said.

By using the district’s integrated curriculum and adding her own ideas, Mull created a multi-cultural curriculum that allows her students to learn about many minority groups though different academic subjects. Her curriculum includes lessons not just about blacks, but Latinos and Asian Americans as well.