This story provides a Minnesota example of school desegregation discussed by Heidi Adelsman and Archie Givens, Jr. In 1971, responding to the Supreme Court ruling that schools were still "intentionally segregated," two Minneapolis schools Hale and Field were "paired" in a citywide effort to desegregate public schools. There were no large scale protests, but tension was in the air on the first day of school and some parents chose to follow school buses to make sure their children were safe. The pairing of Hale and Field came to be a successful model used all over the country, but it was a community model rather than a school district model. Diversity and community involvement remain an important value for the sister schools today.
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| Key Terms |
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| Boundaries |
Brown v. Board of Education |
| Desegregation |
Diversity |
| Economic status |
Pairing |
| Segregation |
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Click here to take a Survey
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| Before Viewing |
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What do you know about school desegregation efforts? What Supreme Court decisions started the desegregation process? What are some of the dangers of segregation?
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| After Viewing |
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- When Heidi says, "We need to understand where we came from to be able to change things," what does she mean? To what historic events does she refer?
- Why did school segregation suddenly make sense to Heidi when she looked at the history of the neighborhood?
- How was the new standard for desegregated homes created?
- What model was used to desegregate public schools? Was it successful? Why?
- Why do you think it was important that pairing of Hale and Field was a community model?
- Why is diversity an important value?
- How can you promote diversity?
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| Suggested Activities and Resources: |
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Diversity Quotes
This activity will allow participants to explore why they value diversity and to take a step toward promoting diversity in their communities.
Divide participants into groups of 5-7 depending on the size of the audience. Ask each group to elect a note-taker/presenter. Ask each group to talk about diversity and why the group members value it. The note-taker can go around the group and ask:
- What is diversity?
- Why do we need it in our schools?
After a 10-15-minute discussion, the presenters will summarize their group discussions and share their quotes.
Depending on time availability, the facilitator can then work with the groups to create a letter to the School Board or other agencies. Alternatively, s/he can have a draft of the letter ready and work in the plenary to include diversity quotes from the group. The group can then sign and send the letter.
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Resources:
Participants can review Expanding Educational Opportunity through School and Housing Choice article by Myron Orfield and Nicholas Wallace at
www.irpumn.org/uls/resources/projects/Expanding_Educ_Opportunity_Schl_Hsng_Choice.pdf
Participants can also review The Choice is Ours: Expanding Educational Opportunity for all Twin Cities Children Report at
www.irpumn.org/uls/resources/projects/CIYFinalReport_topost.pdf
Other useful sites:
Twin Cities Compass www.tccompass.org
Mind the Gap Report www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2005/10cities_sohmer/20051027_mindthegap.pdf
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