A conceptual analysis of desegregation litigation and its effects on the status of schooling for African-American students: Implications for Buffalo public schools

The purpose of this study is to analyze the projective development of an interdistrict desegregation plan involving the Buffalo Public School System (BPSS) with the following school districts: Amherst, Williamsville, Cheektowaga (includes Cheektowaga-Maryvale & Cheektowaga-Sloan districts), Sweethome, Lackawanna and Kenmore-Tonawanda. By examining the impact of judicial action in the BPSS, from 1976 to 1988 along with present educational/social conditions in Buffalo, parallels can be drawn which project that similar practices leading to the original desegregation issues are still covertly dominating the educational system today.; The study of the historical and legal context of school desegregation is used to gain perspective on current and future issues crucial to the educational system in Buffalo, New York. Public education is the product of ever changing social, economic, cultural, political, and legal environments.; The methodology used in this study is that of a policy analysis format. By studying past and present desegregation efforts, an analysis of current school desegregation policies can be projected for the city of Buffalo, New York. The investigation of legal issues includes a review of court cases and decisions. As appropriate, interpretive literature was reviewed and critical interpretations were applied. Rulings that contain implications, which extend beyond the particular case described, are analyzed in greater depth.; This study finds that the schools in Buffalo, New York are once again becoming racially identifiable. However, unlike twenty years ago, it is unlikely that court intervention will be immediately used. The original desegregation plan, used in Buffalo, had become static in its ability to maintain and perpetuate discrimination-free and racially integrated education. Parents want quality instruction for their children, and are willing to return to neighborhood schooling in order to achieve it. Unfortunately, Buffalo's schools are clearly resegregating themselves and are unequal to the suburban school districts that are a boundary away.