Equity in Education is the Order of the Day: A Critical Analysis of Desegregation Laws and the U.S. Education System

Abstract

This study critically analyzes the impact of desegregation on the United States public education

system, highlighting the persistent structural inequities that continue to disproportionately affect

African American and other marginalized student populations. Although the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education, (1954) decision formally ended legalized segregation, it failed to dismantle

systemic conditions such as, unequal funding for schools, de facto segregation inside schools,

opportunity gaps, and disciplinary disparities that limit equitable access to educational opportunity.

Using a historical and critical policy analysis methodology grounded in Critical Race Theory

(CRT) and informed by Competency-Based Antiracist Education (CARE), this study analyzes the

extent to which federal education policies including the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act (IDEA, 1975), No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001), and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA,

2015) have sought to promote equity while producing uneven and unsustainable outcomes. A

comprehensive review of legal decisions, federal policy documents, and peer-reviewed scholarship

reveals that these reforms often emphasized accountability and access without adequately

addressing racialized resource disparities and culturally responsive practices. The findings 

demonstrate that desegregation alone is insufficient as a sustainable framework for educational

reform and the researchers argue for an equity-centered approach that prioritizes fair resource

allocation, antiracist pedagogy, and systemic accountability.