| The history of racial equality in public education dates back to the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The decision provided the descendants of slaves an opportunity to receive an education based on the same merit as that of Caucasian children. Many of the school districts in the South did not desegregate until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nonetheless, African American students were able to attend the best schools and utilize the best instructional materials. Since the 1980s, public education in the United States has experienced unexpected changes. These changes include: (a) competition from charter schools, (b) inadequate funding, (c) male teacher shortage, and (d) resegregation of schools. This study suggests that these unexpected changes, including disproportional numbers in special education and socioeconomic factors, have led to a rapidly growing achievement gap between African American and Caucasian male students. Ethnography was selected as the qualitative methodology to answer the following research questions: (a) How has the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision influenced the education of African American males since 1970?, (b) How have special education programs in public schools influenced the education of African American males since the integration of public schools?, and (c) How have non-educational factors helped in stimulating the growing achievement gap between African American and Caucasian males? Ethnography allowed the researcher to apply qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews, observations, and questionnaires to study those who experienced segregation and apply past ideology to possible solutions for the achievement gap. |
