The year is 1954 - Eisenhower serves as president and Boeing tests its first jet-powered plane, the 707. Later this year, the Minneapolis Lakers win the NBA championship and the Yankees sweep the Series against Cleveland in the first ever color television broadcast of the World Series.

And, on May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court issued a decision that affirmed the constitutional rights of all Americans, and upheld the cherished belief in equality of the world's most powerful democracy when it unanimously struck down the phrase "separate but equal." In the decision for Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, KS the court ruled:

• Not only that separate was inherently unequal, but that learning is hurt by segregation, racism, stereotypes, or reduced student achievement expectations. The court established the importance of public education as a government function and that education is a right, not a privilege.

Fifty years after the shared values of education and equality of opportunity united the courts, what is the legacy of the landmark ruling? The tenets of Brown v Board have been adopted in school districts nationwide, yet studies show "resegregation" occurring in schools at alarming rates. How have housing preferences, urban flight and school funding disparity affected the racial and ethnic balance of schools?

• By 1974, 46% of black students in the eleven former Confederate states were attending integrated (white majority) schools. Sadly, on Brown's fiftieth anniversary less than a third of African-American students attend racially integrated schools.
  
  
• Today, rural and small towns schools are the nations most integrated for both Blacks and Latinos.



• Urban areas and their suburban rings continue to have the most segregated school districts.



• In Illinois, in spite of legal action, inequalities remain: The children of all-black East St. Louis receive a public education worth $8,000 yearly, while the children of Lake Forest, a predominantly white suburb of Chicago, receive $18,000.

While African Americans were the intended beneficiaries of Brown v Board, the decision has implications in 2004 that reach beyond black and white to children affected by economic class and language barriers in education. How will the rising numbers of Asian and Latino non-English speaking students be affected by what some call "institutionalized segregation"?

What are the historical events that lead to Brown v Board? Have there been legal challenges to Brown v Board? Have the courts upheld the Brown v Board ruling? What current court cases have challenged for equality of education? Who is responsible for insuring children receive an equal education? Where have desegregation efforts succeeded? What methods need improvement? Is bussing a failure or a nice try? What affect do segregation, discrimination and racial stereotypes have on children? What are the benefits of an integrated education? Is there an "inherent value of diversity?" How do you measure successful integration? If education served the needs of all children would we need programs like Affirmative Action?