By Alabama Public Radio
Alabama – This week marks 50 years since the U-S Supreme Court ruled that racially separate schools were unconstitutional in the historic Brown versus Board of Education decision.
A national study of the performance of minority and white students found that in Alabama, black students continue to trail white students in performance. The study shows black students scored 20 to 30 percentage points lower on fourth grade reading tests and eighth grade math tests. The study also found the gap extends into high school and into college with lower graduation rates.
The study was released last week by the Education Trust -- a based nonprofit research and education advocacy organization based in Washington-DC.