Americans like to imagine that public education is a great equalizer. With an education, anyone can leap social, racial, and economic barriers and grab a piece of the American pie. Unfortunately, that formula has not always worked, particularly for African Americans. For them, the promises of education-equity, equality, and quality of life-have not been kept.

A unique reference work providing information and resources on the main issues concerning the education of African Americans over the past two decades.

From 1954 to the present, from preschool programs like Headstart to historically black colleges and universities, African American Education: A Reference Handbook explores the black educational experience. Statistical analysis and anecdotal evidence, along with interviews with leading black educators, help readers understand the African American perspective on such controversial issues as testing, curriculum choice, institutional approaches, affirmative action, and the effects of desegregation. Readers will also discover how the striking incompatibility between early informal education experiences and later formal education results in a dichotomy that sets African Americans apart from other groups.

• A detailed chronology charting benchmarks in African American education from 1619–2000
• Discussions of relevant constitutional amendments, laws, and court decisions