Fences Fishbowl Blog Discussion: Education in the 1950s

Segragation in schools

·         Briggs v. Elliott

o   Unequal segregated schools

o   “For every dollar spent on a white child only 24 cents was allotted for a black student”. 

o   “Most rural black schools had neither electricity nor running water. ”

·         Davis v. School Board of Prince Edward County

·         Bulah v. Gebhart and Belton v. Gebhart

o   Longs walks to school

o   Not allowed to share busses with white children

·         Brown v. Board of Education

o   Separate is not equal

·         1957: Little Rock Nine

o   First integration of schools in Arkansas

o   President Eisenhower had to order troops to escort the children

Educational Progress

·         Average teacher Salary- $4,000

·         $215 spent per student, today $10,615 spent per student

·         At age 25, only 36.4% Caucasian people had a high school degree, only 13.7% African American people

·         Firs t ACT in 1959

Effects of the Cold War

·         Pushed more math, science, and foreign language education

·         Additional millions of dollars added for education reform

Sources

       America's Schools: 1950s vs. Today. Digital image. TakePart. Take Part, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2015. <http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/Americas_Schools_Take_Part_Infographic.png>.

       "The Decision." Separate Is Not Equal. National Museum of American History, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2015. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/5-decision/decision.html>.

       "Five Communities Change a Nation." Separate Is Not Equal. National Museum of American History, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2015. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/index.html>.

       Sass, Edmund. "American Educational History: A Hypertext Timeline." Ed's Resources. N.p., 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015. <http://www.eds-resources.com/educationhistorytimeline.html#1900>.