What did the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education achieve?

The Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, which was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. This landmark ruling was based on the principle that "separate but equal" educational facilities were inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It effectively overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld the legality of racial segregation, and clarified that no public institution could maintain segregated practices that discriminated against African American students. The decision not only marked a significant step towards desegregation in education but also galvanized the broader movement for civil rights across the United States.