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BACKGROUND
Prior to Brown v. Board of Education, in Sweatt v. Painter (1950) the U.S. Supreme Court held that, based on the differences between the University of Texas Law School and the black law school, they were not equal. Despite this ruling, Texas resisted desegregation of schools following Brown v. Board of Education. However, after President Eisenhower sent federal troops to support the Supreme Court mandated desegregation, most, but not all, of Texas school districts were desegregated. In 1970, the Department of Justice brought suit against Texas for breaking desegregation laws in United States v. Texas (1970). Following Judge Justice’s ruling in favor of the government, the Texas Education Agency had to enforce the requirements outlined in Justice’s holding. Over ten years later, Judge Justice, under United States v. Texas, held that the State had failed their duty to support English Language Learners (ELLs).
MEDIA
- Texas – Some Texas Schools are Still Fighting Decades-Old Desegregation Orders (Dallas Observer, 2016)
- Texas – Separate and Still Unequal (The Atlantic, 2016)
- Dallas, TX – Dallas ISD is One of the Most Segregated School Districts in the Country (Dallas Observer, 2014)
- Dallas, TX – Texas Leaders, Educators and Courts Grapple with Segregated Public Schools (Dallas News, 2013)
- Texas – A State Eyes School Choice Reform, Some Districts Pursue it Locally (The Texas Tribune, 2012)
ADVOCACY
- Texas – MALDEF and META File Civil Rights Suit Against Texas Education Agency and Individual School Districts (MALDEF, 2014)
OTHER RESOURCES
- Texas – Parallel and Crossover Lives: Texas Before and After Desegregation (Humanities Texas, 2014)
- Port Arthur, TX – School Desegregation in Port Arthur: The Battle Between the Community, the Board, and the Justice Department (East Texas Historical Journal, 2006)
- Texas – Mexican Americans and Education (Texas State Historical Association)
NCSD MEMBERS
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- Intercultural Development Research Association
- The Office of Transformation and Innovation at the Dallas Independent School District
RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL MEMBERS
- Jennifer Jellison Holme, University of Texas at Austin
- Richard Valencia, The University of Texas at Austin