A good school is, or should be, within reach of every child. That was one of the intents of the Supreme Court when, on May 17, 1954, their decision in the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education, ruled unanimously that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and schools must be desegregated. Brown actually combined rulings from similar cases also arising from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC. While the case was nominally about inferior facilities and access, the decision rendered by Chief Justice Earl Warren made clear the real evil that was being addressed -- for children of color, segregation "generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone."
In the spirit of Brown vs. the Board of Education, Edutopia blogger Maurice Elias advocates that every student be intentionally and continuously exposed to programming that supports the growth of the whole child -- as opposed to solely academics.