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Discussions of education have been dominated in recent years by arguments for and against school choice: Should governments offer tax-funded vouchers for use at religious and other private schools? These arguments have stimulated debate in creative ways, primarily by drawing attention to some of the crucial ingredients for school success—discipline, teacher commitment, parental and community involvement—that are often highly visible at religious schools.

The greatest difference between now and 1964, when I began teaching, is that public policy has pretty much eradicated the dream of Martin Luther King. In fact, the public schools today are every bit as segregated as they were in 1964.