Diversity: The Windows of Opportunity in Overcoming the Academic Achievement Gap Between African-American and White Students and in Overcoming Racially Discriminatory Myths of African American Students in Public Education.

Introduction The educational opportunities afforded all African-American students since the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 should have assisted in placing African-American students academically on par with their White counterparts. This decision legally authorized academic conditions that would bring about equity and access for African-American students in public schools. Therefore, when the Brown decision began the process of school desegregation, social scientists confidently predicted that the racial gap in academic performance would soon be eliminated (R. Slavin and N. Madden 2001, 4).