In his September 8, 2005, op-ed piece in the New York Times, Katrina’s Silver Lining, conservative columnist David Brooks writes that rebuilding New Orleans presents a clean slate, an opportunity to culturally integrate the city rather than have large pockets of poverty – like the Gautreaux program:
“The most famous example of cultural integration is the Gautreaux program, in which poor families from Chicago were given the chance to move into suburban middle-class areas. The adults in these families did only slightly better than the adults left behind, but the children in the relocated families did much better.
These kids suddenly found themselves surrounded by peers who expected to graduate from high school and go to college. After the shock of adapting to the more demanding suburban schools, they were more likely to go to college, too.”
Do Madison’s schools present an environment of high expectations for all our children? Will this continue over time? Or, will suburban schools become a magnet for parents in this area? I’d be interested in people’s thoughts via the blog.