Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reversal of Brown V. Board of Education

by Gary Orfield, Susan E. Eaton

Dismantling Desegregation explains the consequences of resegregation and offers direction for a more constructive route toward an equitable future. By citing case studies of ten school districts across the country, Orfield and Eaton uncover the demise of what many feel have been the only legally enforceable routes of access and opportunity for millions of school children in America.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, History

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[DW Rowlands · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very detailed--and quite depressing--history of the legal precedents and arguments that have been used to end court-enforced desegregation in much of the US. The authors argue, emphatically and fairly effectively, that mandatory busing does work, and is the only viable way to desegregate public schools in much of the country, especially given the realities of housing segregation, which are themselves in large part due to historical government action.

It was also an interesting read for me as a DC-area native because it has chapters on school desegregation in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties in particular.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read chapter one for class. It offered some insight into what wrong with the implementation of "Brown". It also shed some light on the issues regarding schools/districts declaring "unitary status".

The reading was dry but insightful.