Shifting Public Views
Public opinion on the subject is complicated. In a 2017 poll issued by PDK International, about three-quarters of parents said it was “somewhat” or “very important” to have racially diverse public schools. But black parents were far more likely than white and Hispanic parents to say they would accept a longer commute for a racially diverse school. And even then, only 40 percent of black parents agreed the longer journey to school was worth it.
While federal school integration efforts have not been a consistent topic of popular discussion in recent decades, Biden’s earliest positions combined with his recent comments may give some voters pause, said Noliwe Rooks, a professor of Africana studies and director of American studies at Cornell University.
“He wasn’t just a silent supporter of anti-busing, he was out there crafting bills,” Rooks said. “As a standalone, [his opposition to busing] probably wasn’t going to be that big a deal. But when you put that in tandem with his more recent comments about these white segregationists, it’s a problem.”
Read the entire article in Education Week.
