Sociology

Segregation is the practice of forceful separation of individuals on the basis of their race or ethnicity (Hardaway, 1995). Nevertheless in the current United States, force has no basis in law, after the court ruling in 1954 that de jure segregation is illegal, and the subsequent civil rights law. It is however evident that today in the United States, schools are resegregating. The paper seeks to find the reasons for the resegregation, the need for integration and some of the strategies that need to be employed for integration on public schools today. There are reported trends of resegregation in schools in the United States, more than 50 years after segregation in schools was abolished by law. The American South has started to resegregate (Parrini, 2008).This region became the area with the least segregation after the implementation of the civil rights law, which stopped the apartheid in school in that area. Research indicates rising rate of segregation for Latino students, whose population as the minority group in the country is increasing at a very high rate. For many years, the Latinos have been more segregated than the African Americans. Studies also reveal that serious separation within African American and Latino communities, especially in the countrys large urban regions. There is also trend in the racial composition of schools in the United States. There is indication of whites being in white schools within areas with more non-white enrollments (Bonds, Farmer-Hinton and Epps, 2009).

One of the reasons for increased rate of resegregation especially for the Latino community is population. For example, the 2000 census revealed an astonishing increase in the Latino population (Parrini, 2008). There is high birth rates and low rate of enrollment in private schools. There has also been high rate of immigration of Latino into the country. All these reasons have resulted to an increased rate of Latino enrollment in public schools. The changes in population have been mirrored in schools as well. Few students are enrolled into private schools and white school attendance is low in the South and the West where whites attend institutions with higher minority. There have been two trends, increasing segregation and increasing diversity. What makes the matter worse is the fact that the results of these two trends on the ethnic composition of the public schools, has not been paid attention to (Parrini, 2008). The current patterns of segregation by race are strongly associated with poverty. There has been a recorded major decline in manufacturing industries in the North. There has also been a shift of opportunities to the suburbs and the south. This has led to increase in number of all races to the suburbs. It has left only the poorest blacks and other minorities in the North and the Midwest major cities. This has also caused segregation in public schools (Bonds, Farmer-Hinton, and Epps, 2009).
   
Another reason for the resegregation is the fact that courts across the nation have ended mandatory desegregation plans and some courts rejected the city-suburban plan. Over the years, attention on civil right issues has been diminishing. The desegregation in countrywide districts has been endangered by municipalities that cut themselves off from the school district to establish smaller school districts. This is the reason why even some states like in the South that had achieved so much in realizing integration are now being segregated for example, in a state like Alabama (Parrini, 2008).
    
It is evident from research that since 1986, blacks and Latino have become segregated from whites in white schools (Bonds, Farmer-Hinton, and Epps, 2009). They end up in highly poverty schools with low parental involvement. These schools have poor resources and less experienced teachers. All these factors come into play to worsen education inequality for the minority groups. This shows the need for integration in public schools. Integration puts the minority in institutions with better opportunities. It also exposes them to higher achieving peer groups. If integration is achieved, the imbalance in education levels and opportunities would be eradicated in the United States (Parrini, 2008).  
 
Implementation of mandated integration in schools and desegregation programs will go along way to integrating students in public schools. It is a fact that court-enforced integration efforts have gone down with time (Bonds, Farmer-Hinton, and Epps, 2009). This has left the decisions on school enrollment to the public. One strategy that can be employed in ensuring integration in public school is the states intervention in the matter. This strategy has worked in the past, especially in the South when de jure segregation was initially abolished, and in my opinion it can still work.

Another solution to the problem is balance in living standards and opportunities for the minorities and the whites. This is the way the poverty that has been reflected in the public schools leading to segregation can be eradicated (Parrini, 2008). This strategy is not realistic for the reason that it is economically oriented and is not a choice that can be implemented in the short-term. This is a long-term solution.

Conclusion
It is a fact that segregation in schools in the United States is as rampant as it was before abolishment. Although it is a factor that puts the education system of the United States in a bad state and should be completely eradicated, it has proven to be one of the most stubborn problems in the United States. It has gone and come back and disappearing again is a very difficult task.