In this Q&A interview, Michael Petrilli, Executive Vice President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and author of The Diverse Schools Dilemma: A Parent's Guide to Socioeconomically Mixed Public Schools, talks with WXXI's Hélène Biandudi Hofer about the case for diverse schools in the US today. Petrilli says the fight for integrated schools has in some ways lost its salience to many people. He says surveys show the preference for and attachment to neighborhood schools seems to be of greater importance. But he adds the case for diverse schools is strong - in particular for low income and minority students.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered one of the most iconic speeches in history from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. WXXI News reflects on the memorable speech, and the impact it had years later with people who were in Washington on that historic day.
Q&A With Michael Petrilli: Is There a Case for Diverse Schools?
Thomas B. Fordham Institute