How are Schools Integrated?

I learned a lot throughout this module that I did not know before. One thing I learned is that schools are not integrated, and are arguably less integrated than they have ever been. This is caused by the systematic racism put in place decades ago by the U.S. government. In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt created loan programs to help Americans finance their homes as part of the New Deal. To determine who got these loans, the government created maps where green neighborhoods were considered “good” and the red areas were considered “bad”. It was organized where African Americans and other minority populations lived in these red and “bad” areas and because of this, they did not receive access to these loans. This is called redlining and has caused a tremendous amount of harm that has remained over time.

Although redlining is considered illegal now, it set a foundation in inequality that is still in effect today. African Americans and other minority groups who were in these red areas were never given the resources or opportunities to relocate or have access to more resources, resulting in some people being trapped in poverty. Property value in the green areas has drastically increased allowing people to sell their homes and make more money, and because schools are primarily funded by property taxes, schools in these areas receive more funding. Because of the effects of these policies from the past, homes in the “red” areas have lower property taxes and therefore have less funding and resources in schools. This in itself is a form of segregation that is widely in place today. 

These inequalities have stemmed from a past of racism in America and have prevented integration in schools even today. The issue of funding in schools is an ongoing issue that must be addressed as it has such a great impact on integration in schools. There is still so much work to be done and as teachers, we must work together to improve these systems in order to provide the best possible opportunities for all of our students.