To the Editor:
John B. King Jr., the former U.S. secretary of education, made an excellent point (“A Dispatch From the Outgoing Education Secretary,” Jan. 18, 2017) when he wrote: “Diversity helps more children succeed, broadens their perspectives, and prepares them for the global workforce. I am convinced the growing conflicts in this country over race, religion, and language would be profoundly reduced if our children learned and played alongside classmates who are different from themselves and if they encountered diverse teachers and leaders in their schools.”
That is a very strong argument against the view pushed by President Donald Trump and the new secretary of education, Betsy DeVos (who never attended, sent her kids to, taught in, or administered a public school), that public funds should be diverted through vouchers to private schools, which tend to fragment students and faculty along religious, ethnic, and other lines.
Also excellent in the same issue is the Commentary by Jeffrey R. Henig (“Will Betsy DeVos Divide the School Choice Movement?”) and Catherine Brown’s and Jack Jennings’ contributions to the Commentary “Policy Suggestions For the New Administration.”
Edd Doerr
President
Americans for Religious Liberty
Silver Spring, Md.
