School Choice Can Heal the Divisions in Charlottesville: New at Reason

Studies show students in schools of choice have more respect for the rights of people they don’t like.

Tyler Kotesky writes:

After last weekend’s deadly ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, school choice has taken some of the blame.

Jennifer Steele, an associate professor of education at American University, interviewed by The Hill, argued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ school choice advocacy could fuel the social tensions behind the clashes.

“The purpose of schooling is to expose people to diverse ideas and experiences,” Steele said. “By allowing people to opt out of public schooling, we risk having a more fragmented society and in the wake of the events in Charlottesville, that’s really an increasing concern.”

I share Steele’s concerns about the state of our civic culture. A bedrock of our democracy and a societal norm we’ve established is respect for the rights of people with whom we disagree. James Alex Fields violated this core American value when he ran his car over dozens of protestors last week. Preventing that kind of heinous violence in the future means teaching our kids to disagree peacefully rather than using force.

Evidence makes clear Steele’s concerns about school choice are misplaced. In eight of 11 empirically rigorous studies, comparing children in schools of choice and traditional public schools, students in schools of choice were more likely to support the civic rights of their most hated opponents. Three find no visible effects. None indicate school choice has a negative impact on tolerance.

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