Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010)
A historical analysis of school desegregation and its limits in liberal America, referencing Baum's work on Baltimore.
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ELED 201 Desegregation Questions
Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010)
Reading: Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010).
Read the entire chapter and answer these questions:
A. What is free choice enrollment? Why do you think that the administrators chose this approach? What were the
advantages and disadvantages for Baltimore, according to Baum? Did it work?
Free choice enrollment was a policy where students could choose which schools to attend rather
than being assigned based on their neighborhood or race. The idea was to provide families with
the flexibility to select schools based on personal preference rather than racial quotas or
geographic location.
Administrators likely chose this approach because it was seen as a more flexible, "liberal"
alternative to forced busing or other more direct interventions. It was hoped that it would ease
racial tensions while still allowing for desegregation, as it didn't directly force students into
integrated schools.
According to Baum, the advantages of this system were that it allowed for some form of
desegregation without the resentment that forced busing often provoked. It also preserved a sense
of parental control and individual choice. However, the disadvantages were significant. It
resulted in white families often using their privilege to choose schools that remained
predominantly white, while African-American students had fewer choices and were more likely
to end up in underfunded, predominantly black schools. This system didn’t lead to substantial
desegregation in Baltimore and, ultimately, it failed to address the inequalities in education that
existed.
B. Baum states “Segregation isolated black children in schools where they often had fewer learning opportunities
than whites. Particularly if they were poor, they were unlikely to have the attributes that that middle-class parents
want for their children’s classmates…” What examples are provided of these attributes? Do you think these are
attributes are solely desired by the middle-class? Why or why not?
The attributes Baum refers to include traits like being "well-behaved," "academically prepared,"
and possessing an "intact" family structure. These are qualities that many middle-class parents
look for in their children's peers to ensure a stable, supportive, and conducive learning
environment.
These attributes are not solely desired by the middle class; they are idealized qualities that
many parents, regardless of class, may desire for their children. However, the middle class is
more likely to have the means (such as access to resources, better neighborhoods, and
educational opportunities) to emphasize these attributes in their children's education. For
Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010)
Reading: Brown in Baltimore: School Desegregation and the Limits of Liberalism, Baum (2010).
Read the entire chapter and answer these questions:
A. What is free choice enrollment? Why do you think that the administrators chose this approach? What were the
advantages and disadvantages for Baltimore, according to Baum? Did it work?
Free choice enrollment was a policy where students could choose which schools to attend rather
than being assigned based on their neighborhood or race. The idea was to provide families with
the flexibility to select schools based on personal preference rather than racial quotas or
geographic location.
Administrators likely chose this approach because it was seen as a more flexible, "liberal"
alternative to forced busing or other more direct interventions. It was hoped that it would ease
racial tensions while still allowing for desegregation, as it didn't directly force students into
integrated schools.
According to Baum, the advantages of this system were that it allowed for some form of
desegregation without the resentment that forced busing often provoked. It also preserved a sense
of parental control and individual choice. However, the disadvantages were significant. It
resulted in white families often using their privilege to choose schools that remained
predominantly white, while African-American students had fewer choices and were more likely
to end up in underfunded, predominantly black schools. This system didn’t lead to substantial
desegregation in Baltimore and, ultimately, it failed to address the inequalities in education that
existed.
B. Baum states “Segregation isolated black children in schools where they often had fewer learning opportunities
than whites. Particularly if they were poor, they were unlikely to have the attributes that that middle-class parents
want for their children’s classmates…” What examples are provided of these attributes? Do you think these are
attributes are solely desired by the middle-class? Why or why not?
The attributes Baum refers to include traits like being "well-behaved," "academically prepared,"
and possessing an "intact" family structure. These are qualities that many middle-class parents
look for in their children's peers to ensure a stable, supportive, and conducive learning
environment.
These attributes are not solely desired by the middle class; they are idealized qualities that
many parents, regardless of class, may desire for their children. However, the middle class is
more likely to have the means (such as access to resources, better neighborhoods, and
educational opportunities) to emphasize these attributes in their children's education. For
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Document Details
University
University of Notre Dame
Subject
History