Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010)

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ELED 201DesegregationQuestionsBrown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010)Reading:Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010).Read the entire chapterandanswer thesequestions:A. What is free choice enrollment? Why do you think that the administrators chose this approach? Whatweretheadvantages and disadvantagesforBaltimore, according to Baum? Did it work?Free choice enrollmentwas a policy where students could choose which schools to attend ratherthan being assigned based on their neighborhood or race. The idea was to provide families withthe flexibility to select schools based on personal preference rather than racial quotas orgeographic location.Administrators likely chose this approach because it was seen as a more flexible, "liberal"alternative to forced busing or other more direct interventions. It was hoped that it would easeracial tensions while still allowing for desegregation, as it didn't directly force students intointegrated schools.According to Baum, theadvantagesof this system were that it allowed for some form ofdesegregation without the resentment that forced busing often provoked. It also preserved a senseof parental control and individual choice. However, thedisadvantageswere significant. Itresulted in white families often using their privilege to choose schools that remainedpredominantly white, while African-American students had fewer choices and were more likelyto end up in underfunded, predominantly black schools. This system didn’t lead to substantialdesegregation in Baltimore and, ultimately, it failed to address the inequalities in education thatexisted.B.Baum states “Segregation isolated black childreninschoolswhere they often had fewer learning opportunitiesthan whites. Particularly if they were poor, they were unlikely to have the attributes thatthat middle-class parentswant for their children’s classmates…” What examplesare provided ofthese attributes?Do you think these areattributesaresolely desired by the middle-class? Why or why not?TheattributesBaum refers to include traits like being "well-behaved," "academically prepared,"and possessing an "intact" family structure. These are qualities that many middle-class parentslook for in their children's peers to ensure a stable, supportive, and conducive learningenvironment.These attributes are notsolely desired by the middle class; they are idealized qualities thatmany parents, regardless of class, may desire for their children. However, the middle class ismore likely to have the means (such as access to resources, better neighborhoods, andeducational opportunities) to emphasize these attributes in their children's education. For

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