Reparations Done Right

The policies of the incoming administration with regard to the federal role in education, despite a great deal of fearmongering during the election season, have not yet taken shape. Though the administration nominated Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education this week, the administration’s priorities in education are being assessed on the basis of statements made by candidates during the election. Before McMahon’s nomination, Education Week reported that the Secretary of Education “will likely support slimming down if not dismantling the Education Department; expanding school choice; slashing K-12 spending; and attacking school districts’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.” It will probably be some time before we know how these positions will cash out in terms of policy choices. Not on the horizon of the incoming administration are any proposals for reparations to the African American population of America’s inner cities. Such proposals have generally come from radicals. But could there be a centrist version of reparations to be found in education policy? The Usual (Failed) Case for Reparations The 2024 elections were, if anything, a mandate to reject the idea of reparations as they have been proposed on the left. Pressure from the left to enact reparations policies has multiplied since...