The Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., got top billing as the defendant in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, although school systems in three other states were party to the lawsuit. So what has happened in Topeka in the intervening years?
In fact, in 1979 the Brown v. Board of Education case was reopened in U.S. District Court in Topeka because community members complained that a number of schools did not meet the court's standard for racial balance. As a result, Topeka schools devised a plan that consolidated eight small elementary schools into three large schools, which were opened in 1996. Finally, in 1999, Brown v. Board of Education was officially closed.
Two of the schools, Williams Science and Fine Arts Magnet and the Scott Computer Technology Magnet, have 65 percent and 78 percent minority student populations, respectively, because they are the neighborhood schools in predominantly black areas. Because of a new open-boundaries policy with largely white suburban school districts, Topeka officials hope to improve the racial balance at these schools by attracting more white students who want to take advantage of their specialized programs, says Brad Stauffer, Topeka Public Schools spokesperson.
Topeka Public Schools: Desegregation History
http://www.topeka.k12.ks.us
This site contains detailed information about the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, as well as links to local and national Web sites related to the case. For example, the Topeka-based Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research offers numerous educator and student resources.
