Was instrumental in speeding up school desegregation. Schools could lose federal funding if they ignored the civil rights act and continued to promote segregation. The act was highly effective in reducing the number of segregated schools in the nation. To support compliance with federal desegregation goals, criteria were developed to determine if schools still practiced segregation. Schools found to be in noncompliance had to develop desegregation plans.

Even though students were allowed to attend the same school regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status, the mindsets of the children who attended these schools, their parents, and teachers and school staff did not change quickly. Today, more than half a century later, students in some learning environments continue to face ridicule because of their cultural, socioeconomic, and/or language background. They often face difficulty in school because their needs, if different from the average White American child, are not being adequately met.