Educational Freedom and Urban America:
Brown v. Board After Half a Century

Thursday, May 15, 2003
8:15 a.m.–3:45 p.m.

Cato Institute
F. A. Hayek Auditorium
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001

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We are approaching the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s monumental decision, Brown v. Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling struck down segregated public schooling. As the court wrote: “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” But almost five decades later, public education remains unequal. Forty-five percent of black and 47 percent of Hispanic students drop out of public high schools (compared to 24 percent of whites). Only 5 percent of black and 10 percent of Hispanic fourth-graders achieve at least at the proficient level on the math portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (compared to 33 percent of whites). Minority children suffer disproportionately from a failing education system.

What is the way forward for education in America’s inner cities? What reform proposals would give more students access to good schools? How can inner-city students achieve educational freedom and equality? Leading scholars will examine the current state of urban education, the success stories in a sea of failure, and reform proposals for urban America.

Rev. Floyd Flake Former Congressman, and Senior Pastor, Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church	Lawrence Patrick III President and CEO, Black Alliance for Educational Options	Paul E. Peterson Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard University	Casey Lartigue Jr. Education Policy Analyst, Cato Institute

		8:15–9:00 a.m. Registration–F. A. Hayek Auditorium Foyer 9:00–9:15 a.m. Welcoming Remarks David Boaz Executive Vice President, Cato Institute 9:15–9:45 a.m. Keynote Address—The Continuing Struggle for Parental Choice Howard Fuller Director, Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University Introduction: Virginia Walden-Ford Executive Director, D.C. Parents for School Choice 10:00–11:15 a.m. Panel 1 Are Public Schools Leaving Urban America Behind? Moderator: Jacqueline Joyner-Cissell Vice Chair, Black Alliance for Educational Options Lawrence Patrick III President and CEO, Black Alliance for Educational Options Casey Lartigue Jr. Education Policy Analyst, Cato Institute C. Emily Feistritzer President, National Center for Education Information 11:15–11:30 a.m. Break 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Panel 2 Islands of Success in Oceans of Failure Moderator: Kaleem Caire Project Director, Fight for Children Paul E. Peterson Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard University Barbara Mickens Parent, Washington Scholarship Fund Irasema Salcido Principal, Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy 12:45–1:30 p.m. Lunch—Wintergarden 1:30–2:15 p.m. Luncheon Address—Fulfilling the Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education Rev. Floyd Flake Former Congressman, and Senior Pastor, Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church Introduction: Phyllis Berry Myers President and CEO, Center for New Black Leadership 2:15–2:30 p.m. Break 2:30–3:45 p.m. Panel 3 Which Way for Urban Education? Alternatives to the Traditional Public Schools Moderator: Deborah Simmons Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Washington Times David A. Bositis Senior Political Analyst, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies David Salisbury Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute Frederick M. Hess Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute Andrew J. Coulson Senior Fellow in Education, The Mackinac Center for Public Policy

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