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School choice should not ignore diversity

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Last updated January 28, 2017

By Tina Underwood

Furman education professor Scott Henderson writes about school choice in an article appearing in The Greenville News. He cites a 180-year-old experiment undertaken by Horace Mann who in 1837 was determined to assimilate immigrants into American society. As Massachusetts’ education superintendent, Mann advocated for the creation of “common schools” that would provide a free education to all children despite their cultural heritage. Mann also saw the value of common schools in unifying disparate populations. Said Henderson, “We cannot allow school choice to become an excuse for racial or ethnic apartheid. Education policies should embrace, not shun, the diversity of our larger society.”

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