There is no question that Brown vs. Board of Education, litigated more than 50 years ago, administered the last rites to a system of segregation that had riven American schools along racial lines since the days of Reconstruction. Half a century later, however, and it would seem that while a formal system of separate accommodations in education is a relic of the past, segregation is alive and flourishing.

Two recent reports--one by Harvard University and the other by MSU--detail the extent of the problem. The report by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard charts an unmistakable trend toward resegregation in the original 17 southern and border states that practiced segregation by state law. But no region in the country was immune to the trend. From 1991-2003, for example, the number of black students attending majority nonwhite schools rose sharply across all regions. In the South alone, the percentage went from 61 percent to 71 percent.

Drawing on some of the work of the Civil Rights Project, the Education Policy Center at MSU released a report in January that examined segregation in Michigan schools. It found that the number of racially segregated public schools in the state has increased by nearly 50 percent since 1992-93 and much of that increase is attributable to charter schools.

According to the report, the number of racially segregated public schools in Michigan increased from 294 to 431 from 1992-93 to 2004-05. The report defines segregated schools as those where 80 percent or more of students are African American.
Almost two-thirds of this increase is attributable to charter schools.

"The fact is that more than 60 percent of all African-American students in Michigan--and more than three-quarters of the African-American students who attend charter schools--are enrolled in segregated schools and the numbers are increasing," said David N. Plank, co-director of the center. "That's discouraging, 50 years after the Supreme Court ruled that separate schools are inherently unequal."
 

Expanding Education at Erickson

The College of Education is on the move again. The Board of Trustees approved in January a $2.4 million addition to a portion of the building just south of Erickson Hall's entrance. The construction project will add 6,700 square feet of research and office space to the building.

Why the expansion? In just the past few years, the college has attracted some $62 million in research funding. That means a lot of people and resources to accommodate in a building that is nearly 50 years old.

Construction began in February and the expansion is to be finished in December. In addition to the construction, the front of Erickson will be improved in other ways, including landscaping, an extended entrance canopy, and decorative paving.

This is phase two of the refurbishing of Erickson. Renovation of the first floor of the building was completed in January and includes 5,000 square feet of state-of-the-art technology-enhanced classrooms and conference rooms, as well as a Sparty's coffee shop.
 

Super Study . . . Abroad

Michigan State University is the top public university in the United States for study abroad, according to Open Doors 2005, the annual report on international education released by the Institute of International Education. During the 2003-04 academic year, the most recent year for which data is available, 2,269 MSU students studied abroad, second only to New York University among all colleges and universities. National data reflect an increase in study abroad participation of 9.6 percent for 2003-04. At MSU, participation grew by 21.7 percent during that time. "Ranking Michigan State's study abroad program number one among public universities across the country underscores the strength of our institutional commitment to advancing our historic land-grant mission toward 'world-grant,'" said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon (PhD 74).
 

Grading the Games Children Play

The nation's youth sports programs aren't making the grade, says Dan Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.

An alliance of professional and amateur sports organizations, as well as some of the nation's top experts in youth sports, including Gould, issued in the fall a first-ever report card "grading" youth sports programs. And the grades were barely above failing.

According to the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA), which includes organizations such as the NCAA, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association, parental misbehavior and an overemphasis on winning are damaging the programs.

The areas reviewed by the panel and their grades included child-centered philosophy, D; coaching, C-; health and safety, C+; officiating, B-; and parental behavior/involvement, D.

Among the panel's many concerns: Youth sports has lost its child-centered focus, meaning there is less emphasis on the child's experience and more on adult-centered motives, such as winning. The alliance evaluated only community-based youth sports programs, focusing on those that serve children ages six to 14.

"One of the biggest issues in youth sports today is the 'professionalization' of children's sports," said Gould, who also is a professor of kinesiology and a leading sports pyschologist. "Examples of this professional model include adults pressuring kids to win at early ages, along with single-sports specialization and year-round training at an early age."

The report is available at the ctsa Web site (www.sportsmanship.org).
 

First it was U.S. News & World Report selecting the College of Education's graduate programs in elementary, secondary, and rehabilitation counseling as the best in the country. Then in 2004, the Goldman Sachs Foundation chose MSU to receive its Prize for Excellence in International Education. Now comes word that the college has snagged yet another honor: the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) 2006 Best Practice Award for Global and International Teacher Education.

That's two of the most prestigious international honors back to back. That's no mean feat. The AACTE award, sponsored by the association's Committee on Global and International Teacher Education, recognizes exemplary practice in preparing education professionals for work in intercultural and international settings.

That the college would receive such an honor will come as no surprise to many because it's had a longstanding commitment to international education with projects throughout the world and a unique study abroad program in which students have the opportunity to, among other things, teach in rural South African schools.

"The AACTE award is a wonderful honor for the College of Education, Michigan State University, and the leadership of Assistant Dean Jack Schwille," said Dean Carole Ames. "In an increasingly interconnected world, worldwide linkages are more important than ever, and recognition by AACTE is an indication of the outstanding work by our faculty and staff."
 

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