We must face them. But all of us need to be clear about the realities, not just about what we might wish for. Conversely, there are realities about the difficulties with school integration. The best schools at generating economic opportunity will be the schools that have a rich kind of excellence, encompassing both the academic qualities and the social and community qualities that will produce successful citizens in a demanding and diverse 21st century workplace. There aren t magical answers on this.
Integrated schools help, but aren t the total answer.
We must get the message out to every household and especially every poor household that the only road out of poverty runs by the schoolhouse. Discrimination in this country is not confined to the fault lines of race. The line that separates the well educated from the poorly educated is one of the harshest dividers of all. That is why it is not enough that we have diversity as a single goal. That would be a hollow victory indeed, unless the schools are equipped to produce the kind of academically prepared graduates who can compete in the market place.