An Alternative
This paper outlines a different approach to the problem of removing the vestiges of segregation; instead of focusing on artificial integration it argues for providing equal educational opportunities to minority students. The program set forth in this paper will extend educational opportunities in two ways: attacking the social factors which detract from education and working within the field of education itself.
The primary social factor hurting education is urban decay. The viability of the urban setting is a very good indication of the effectiveness of the educational system. An educated, productive workforce able to earn a decent living will have less reason to turn to crime and will be able to work against physical decay. A haphazardly educated, unproductive workforce will be more likely to turn to crime, and will be unable to prevent physical decay. Thus urban decay can be seen as a symptom of an inadequate educational system
Education is perhaps the primary tool government can use to reverse urban decay. Yet urban decay is also a primary roadblock to improving educational opportunities. Thus we must address both problems simultaneously. To improve education, we must deal with the effects of urban decay, and to have a long term effect on urban decay we must improve educational opportunities. To this end, we propose to spend a significant percentage of the resources freed by the end of busing to counteract the various elements of urban decay.
By addressing the elements which detract from the educational process, in conjunction with efforts within education, we believe we can extend equal educational opportunities to minority students. By extending equal educational opportunities to minorities, we believe we will be able to eliminate the vestiges of segregation.
Accepting this plan requires a leap of faith. Although busing has little long-term effect, it does have a very noticeable short-term effect; it clearly gives at least the illusion of ending segregation. This plan is an attempt to address the root causes and to have a long-term effect, but it does so at the cost of the short-term illusion.Implementing the plan means accepting that many if not most Black students will again go to all-Black schools. But their children, and perhaps even their younger brothers and sisters, will not.
Our program is designed to provide the tools necessary for change. Actual change will be up to the individuals who make up the minority community in St. Louis. If poor Blacks do not take advantage of these tools, then no progress will be made. If Blacks who live in crime-ridden neighborhoods do not respond to the COPS program outlined in this report, then crime will not go down. If parents do not stress the importance of education, then their children will not be able to take advantage of the guaranteed college tuition plan outlined in this report.At every step, this proposal requires action from the minority community. We have faith that the people will respond—once government shows it is taking its obligations seriously and is offering realistic alternatives. To believe anything else is to do Blacks the injustice of assuming that they have no control over their own lives.
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