By Henri Astier
BBC News
The US Supreme Court is about to rule on a controversy it had hoped to settle five decades ago - the issue of race in education.
In the coming days, the justices are expected to decide on challenges to two programmes designed to ensure racial diversity in schools.
The cases - in Seattle and Louisville, Kentucky - reflect the fact that despite previous efforts by courts, many black and white schoolchildren in the US live and learn in different worlds.
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The two cases being considered by the Supreme Court will have implications for hundreds of US school districts that have adopted race-conscious programmes.
"This will decide whether local communities will be able to bring together children across racial lines," says Anurima Bhargava of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund - a group that supports the school boards in both cases.
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more:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6757629.stm