My project examines Cleveland’s struggle to provide adequate education to the public school district. This issue is caused primarily by the improper implementation of desegregation within the school district. During this time Cleveland’s population changed significantly and the “great migration” occurred, again. The civil rights movement within Cleveland and Northeast Ohio was more of a struggle than many know, and that struggle had leaders like Dr. King engaged along the way. One of the most telling points in assessing Cleveland’s history pertaining to Civil Rights is the way in which the city school district went about handling the integration of schools. This process took over forty years, from 1954-1996, and the effects of the handling of this process can still be seen till this day. The African American population within Cleveland grew heavily during WWII. From 1940-1960, the population grew from 85,000 to 251,000, and within the 1960’s the African American population made up thirty percent of the city. The African American Community within Cleveland wanted better education, and preferred “integration”, as opposed to “desegregation”. These questions are significant because the help set the stage for what we consider Cleveland public schools today. They also give a new viewpoint and look through the African American families experience while going through desegregation of local schools. My research says that Northern Cities were more complex to integrate due to the already set cultural segregation. I will prove this through analyzing Cleveland’s past; its riots, CMSD Boards attempts at integrating, and many reports dating back through the city’s struggle with its racial make-up.