The Enduring Legacy: Structured Inequality in America's Public Schools

Enduring Legacy describes a multifaceted paradox—a constant struggle between those who espouse a message of hope and inclusion and others who systematically plan for exclusion. Structured inequality in the nation’s schools is deeply connected to social stratification within American society. This paradox began in the eighteenth century and has proved an enduring legacy. Mark Ryan provides historical, political, and pedagogical contexts for teacher candidates—not only to comprehend the nature of racial segregation but, as future educators, to understand their own professional responsibilities, both in the community and in the school, to strive for an integrated classroom where all children have a chance to succeed. The goal of providing every child a world-class education is an ethical imperative, an inherent necessity for a functioning pluralistic democracy. The challenge is both great and growing, for teachers today will face an evermore segregated American classroom.

Mark Ryan is an adjunct professor at National University. He has a Doctorate in Higher and Adult Education from Arizona State University at Tempe and was awarded the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award at National University. He is the author of Ask the Teacher: A Practitioner’s Guide to Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom. This book can be found in nearly three hundred university libraries around the world.