The National School Boards Association honors the 60th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling by calling on America’s school boards, parents and communities to continue to ensure that public education is a right made available to all students on equal terms, according to a press release.

“The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision catalyzed education reform and reminds us to be ever vigilant in challenging segregation to maintain a civil society,” said NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel. “School boards believe that every child in America should be able to attend a great public school where they live — no exceptions, no excuses.”

The urgency of the 60th anniversary is that segregation is not an issue of yesteryear — it is a growing concern today. While the Brown v. Board of Education decision made clear the inherent inequality of a separate educational system based on race, today the data show that many areas have been resegregating. Research shows that students learn more — both academically and socially — in settings where their peers may be of a different race and have different life experiences.