A Good Education for All? Desegregation and Educational Reform in Albany's Schools

Lecture Center 20

Public and private schools throughout American history have been segregated due to policies crafted and implemented by local school boards. The Supreme Court decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case said segregated public schools were inherently flawed and that the idea of separate-but-equal had no place in public education. But how were schools to integrate the schools? Cities such as Albany had neighborhoods that had a majority black proportion, meaning that the schools within these neighborhoods were going to be segregated. Policies pursued by the Albany School Board of Education did not provide a solution and The Brothers sought to mobilize the members of the South End and Arbor Hill communities to take action for the state of education in the schools. Using documents from the Albany School Board, The Brothers, and looking at local public and private schools, this paper argues that the policies and programs pursued not only by the public but private schools as well, inhibited the educational growth of the children and continued the segregation persisting within these schools. Dealing with the racial imbalance, admissions policies, and practices within the schools, the city of Albany had to find ways to deal with the growing problem of segregation. The history of Albany’s schools shows the challenges when dealing with segregation in the educational system, and if left alone, these problems would continue into future generations.