Dear Deborah, While we're still focused on pushing the Administration to promote a different plan, let's make sure that a commitment to equity is a central part of whatever we do. It is remarkable that despite all the rhetoric about education being the civil rights issue of the 21st century, our leaders make no mention of the need for equity, or conversely, the need to address the profound inequity, that characterizes so much of American education today. Many people do not realize that ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) was initially part of the civil rights laws enacted in the 1960s to insure that economically disadvantaged children received supplemental support. That commitment came to an end with the adoption of No Child Left Behind, and despite all the rhetoric about educating "all" children that accompanied NCLB, there has been very little attention to the growing isolation of poor children of color in under-resourced schools.
As you know, the US Supreme Court is presently hearing arguments in the latest attack on affirmative action in the case of Fischer vs. the University of Texas. The case is important for a number of reasons, and not just because if the court rules the university's policy to be a violation of the law it will constitute a major setback to efforts to maintain some degree of racial diversity in higher education. What makes the University of Texas policy
As you know, the US Supreme Court is presently hearing arguments in the latest attack on affirmative action in the case of Fischer vs. the University of Texas. The case is important for a number of reasons, and not just because if the court rules the university's policy to be a violation of the law it will constitute a major setback to efforts to maintain some degree of racial diversity in higher education. What makes the University of Texas policy