Historical Black Colleges Weren't Founded For "School Choice"

They were founded because racist white people wouldn’t let black students into their colleges. Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola, hosts of The Young Turks, discuss. Tell us what you think in the comment section below. http://tytnetwork.com/go

"The education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is facing a fierce backlash after she called historically black colleges and universities “real pioneers when it comes to school choice.”

On Twitter, hundreds of angry users accused her of ignoring the fact that many of the schools were founded because black students were not allowed to attend segregated white schools, not because education pioneers wanted to give African-Americans more options in higher education. Ms. DeVos, an aggressive backer of publicly funded vouchers that public school students could use for private school tuition, released her comments Monday evening shortly after meeting with several presidents from historically black colleges and universities.

Ms. DeVos began the statement by praising the schools for making “tangible, structural reforms” that allow students, often underserved, to reach their full potential.

“They started from the fact that there were too many students in America who did not have equal access to education,” she said in the statement. “They saw that the system wasn’t working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution.”

Historically black colleges and universities “are real pioneers when it comes to school choice,” the statement continued. “They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.””*

Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us...

Hosts: Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola
Cast: Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola

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