Final answer:
The Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Supreme Court ruling endorsed busing as a means of achieving school desegregation, igniting busing plans throughout the U.S., though later rulings set limits on its use.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court ruling in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools established that busing could be used as a method to achieve desegregation in schools when other methods failed.
The impact of this ruling was widespread, leading to the implementation of busing plans in numerous American cities with the intent to desegregate educational facilities, in accordance with the earlier precedent set by Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.
However, the Swann ruling also stipulated that once schools had been successfully desegregated, busing should end. This clause, among others, influenced subsequent cases and policies.
As demographics and societal attitudes evolved, later Supreme Court decisions, such as those in Milliken v. Bradley, began to place limitations on the extensive use of busing, leading to its reduction or elimination in many districts.