Final answer:
School desegregation approaches varied from implementing inclusive policies and diversity recruitment to resistance and maintaining discriminatory practices. Collaboration with communities and federal compliance were also strategies used, while some employed resistance tactics like mass school closures.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the process of desegregating higher education, multiple approaches were observed across various institutions. Some schools worked towards integration by implementing inclusive admissions policies and actively recruiting students from diverse backgrounds, reflecting a proactive approach to diversity. Other schools resisted desegregation by maintaining exclusionary admission practices. As part of a broader community initiative, several institutions collaborated with local communities to promote diversity and equal educational opportunities.
Some schools sought federal assistance to comply with desegregation requirements, embracing changes mandated by the civil rights movement and subsequent legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Conversely, others engaged in 'massive resistance,' a strategy exemplified by state leaders in Virginia who chose to shut down schools rather than integrate, leading to private academies that were predominantly white. The NAACP played a significant role by filing lawsuits to demand immediate and unconditional end to segregation, thus pushing schools towards integration.
Despite legal victories, real integration posed additional challenges, such as the marginalization of black educators and the upheaval of black community institutions. The struggle for integrated schooling thus became a complex journey marked by both progress and resistance, with outcomes that have led to ongoing debate about equity and equality in education.