On the heels of a historic anniversary, our country is reminded of how far we've come, and how much work remains, through the lens of education.
May 17 marked 71 years since the Brown v. Board of Education decision affirmed that education must be available and equitable to all. Yet the Department of Justice’s recent removal of 1960s-era safeguards to monitor school desegregation in Louisiana, and potentially other Southern states, threatens the spirit of that landmark ruling.
Further, education is facing other serious challenges across our country, at underfunded public schools and well-endowed colleges and universities alike. One of the greatest challenges is an attack on the very foundation of education via the ongoing threats to free thought and critical inquiry.
Without these essential tenets, we weaken our collective ability to reach our full potential as individuals and as community. We run the risk of misremembering the past, not understanding our present and moving into the future without clear purpose or direction.
Elementary and secondary education are at the heart of this struggle. This is where students learn about the trials and tribulations of our country ‒ and where they learn to question, empathize and think critically, so that they can become engaged citizens as adults.
