an equal education in the United States is not a constitutional right. The article cited below was in the New York Times this past week.
New York Times Article: Detroit Students Have a Constitutional Right to Literacy, Court Rules; April 27, 2020
The ruling by Judge Clay in the Sixth Circuit ruled that literacy should be a constitutional right. It is expected that, if the case goes to the Supreme Court, it will not receive sufficient votes to become law.
NYT; “A major ruling in a lawsuit involving the Detroit public schools comes at a time when school shutdowns are expected to affect poor children most adversely.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/us/detroit-literacy-lawsuit-schools.html?smid=em-share (Links to an external site.)
The overwhelming majority of students in the Detroit public schools are black or Hispanic and come from low-income families. Judge Clay noted that “through the nation’s history, white people have repeatedly withheld education to deny political power to African-Americans and others, most notably under slavery and segregation.” This statement coming from the judge regarding the historical role of politics in U.S. education is quite poignant.
Schools and Society; A Sociological Approach to Education, Ballantine, Spade and Stuber. Michael Apple, Chapter 11; Reading 50. Apple provides a perspective on the politics of education and specifically the role of the conservative Right in “shifting the terrain” in education. What does he mean by this term? Does Apple’s perspective cohere with Judge Clay’s statement regarding the role of politics and power in education? What are the specific political forces that help shape education policy according to Apple? Do you agree with Judge Clay? Apple? Explain.