Are U.S. Schools Still Segregated? Public Forum Addresses and Attempts to Solve the Problem

One can argue that racial disparity has been present for a long time in almost every field imaginable, if not all of them. In recent times, this has been proven to be especially true in the field of education.

The marginalization of other races has been lessened by a huge amount in the past decades, but shards of the past still remain to this day, says CNN. Thankfully, there has recently been a public event held wherein suggestions of how to lessen these were passed around.

The Brown Center on Education Policy recently held a public event, which was highlighted in a blog post on the Brookings website. Deputy Director for the Brown Center Michael Hansen addressed the looming problem of the lack of racial diversity of the teachers practicing in the United States. He stated that this could present a problem since racial diversity among Americans is becoming more and more prominent.

Deputy Vice President Peggy McLeod also highlighted the state of Latino-American students in American schools. She hailed the Latino communities rising graduation rates among students, but was also quick to point out that they still had limited access to educational resources. Activists have also called for a deeper understanding of the country's racial history.

Struggling schools were also a talking point at the open forum. A seemingly popular suggestion was giving teachers an appropriate incentive if they choose to study at a school, which was considered to be struggling. If this were to work, it could bring much needed educational equality among the various communities in the US.

McLeod states that much of the problem lies in the "devaluation of teachers" in the United States. She recommends that teachers should begin working with a higher base salary. Teachers should also be properly recognized and praised in order to give them motivation to continue with their work. This could possibly bring more people into the profession, even those who come from non-Caucasian racial backgrounds.