That was Then, This is Now: A Comparative Analysis Juxtaposing Brown versus Board of Education with the Opportunity School District

In this paper presentation, two student researchers examined the policies of the landmark Supreme Court Case Brown versus Board of Education and Governor Nathan Deal’s proposed Opportunity School District (OSD) legislation using a focused comparative analysis. Brown versus Board of Education declared that separate but unequal schools were unconstitutional and implored school districts to submit plans to have Black and White children learning side-by-side or risk federal funding. The OSD legislation is based on initiatives in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Michigan and proposes to turn around chronically failing schools by creating an autonomous school district governed solely by a governor-appointed superintendent. Comparative analysis provides a lens to examine both education policies and their implications. The guiding questions for the analysis were: 1) who will benefit from said policies; 2) what are the counter-narratives of the policies and 3) what are the evaluation measures to determine if the goals of the policies are met? The paper presents the categorical themes of the findings and provides implications for their enforcement. On November 8, 2016, Georgia stakeholders will cast ballots to approve or disapprove the OSD legislation. An examination of these policies to educate diverse democracies to make informed decisions that will impact students and communities for years to come is paramount