Published On: September 3rd, 2016|

The Hechinger Report – Connor Williams and Catherine Brown

“U.S. Education Secretary John King has proclaimed school integration a key priority. Policymakers have focused on attaining diversity because of the benefits for all students, regardless of their background. School integration has been a critical priority for many waves of education reformers: students in diverse, integrated schools grow up better prepared to flourish in a plural democratic society and economy…So, what to do? Some have wondered if instead of promoting diversity for its own sake, school districts might attract families of diverse backgrounds to enroll in integrated schools by promoting unique educational themes. Might privileged families be willing to enroll their children in integrated schools that promise thematic instruction focused on science, the arts, or technology? Perhaps. But what if we took this thinking a step further and designed and promoted schools that actually required integration for their model to work? Dual immersion programs offer precisely that.”(more)