Back in 1957, nine African-American students started going to Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Until that point, only white students had attended Central.

What does the past have to do with you? You weren't alive in the 1950s. As hard as it is to believe even some of your teachers weren't alive back then. So why worry about stuff that happened in the days when Eisenhower was President and Elvis was King?

Question: At your school do kids from the same racial groups hang out together at lunch? Do some clubs or teams at your school attract students from a certain race? Are the faces in honors classes mostly of a similar skin tone? Do you ever feel out of place by being in the minority? (or the majority?)

How about this: Do you think it's important for students from different racial groups to interact with each other or is it better when everyone stays to themselves? You might feel one way about this if your group is in the majority, but what about if you're one of a small number of "different" students?

Should we get even more complicated? Forget for a moment how you feel about this topic and turn your attention to what's best for education and society. Is it important for people to learn to live together? Do all schools get the same kind of funding? Have you ever compared schools in poor and rich parts of your community? Do you think that students with in better equipped and nicer schools might learn more easily?

So, what does history have to do with you? At your school do kids from the same racial groups hang out together at lunch? Do some clubs or sports at your school attract students from a certain race? Are the faces in honors classes mostly of a similar skin tone?... Get it? Issues that created debate back in the 50's still do so today.

In the following WebQuest, you will learn about nine African-American students who, back in 1957, chose to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. They took these steps with the power of the U.S. Supreme Court backing them up, but with armed soldiers blocking the entrance before them. Still, this WebQuest isn't about history, it's about the world you live in and the choices your community has made in the past and you will make in the future. If you're ready, begin the Quest...