Polling Note on the Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education

— -- Most Americans, blacks and whites alike, see progress in educational opportunity since the 1950s. But there are broad divisions between the races on the extent of the gains, with many blacks saying inequalities remain. And busing remains highly divisive as a solution.

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll in January 2003, 86 percent of Americans said black children have as good a chance as white children to attend a good public school in their community. This included 92 percent of whites -- but 58 percent of blacks.

In a similar but broader question last year, Gallup found 50 percent of blacks saying "educational opportunities" for black children were the same as for white children in their community. This was down from a high of 64 percent in the mid-90s, and also again much lower than the perception of equality among whites (81 percent).

Gallup found a less positive assessment of equality nationally (as opposed to "in your community") - 59 percent of all Americans said black children have equal educational opportunities as white children. Sixty-three percent of whites said so, falling to just 31 percent of blacks. Nonetheless, 77 percent of blacks (and 92 percent of whites) said educational opportunities for black children have improved over the past five decades.

Last month an AP/Ipsos poll found two-thirds of Americans saying public schools were doing an excellent or good job serving all children equally, regardless of race; again, though, whites said so by 2-1, while blacks divided evenly. Overall 72 percent said school integration has improved the quality of education received by black students (three-quarters of whites, "more than half" of blacks). Fewer, however -- 50 percent -- said it's improved the quality of education received by white students. Two-thirds also said black students have about the same opportunity for success as white students (breakdown by race not provided).

More than eight in 10 in the AP/Ipsos poll said they'd prefer to send a child to a school where the students were racially and ethnically mixed. But nearly eight in 10 also said it's better to let students go to their local school even if it means most students would be of the same race, as opposed to transferring them to other schools outside of their community to create more integration. AP/Ipsos again didn't include a racial breakdown here --