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The Commons

Readers respond to our October 2019 issue and more.

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET on November 12, 2019.

When the Culture War Comes for the Kids

In October, George Packer wrote about his attempt to do right by his children while navigating New York City’s schools, caught between a brutal meritocracy and a radical new progressivism.


As public-school principals in Brooklyn, we feel obligated to correct George Packer’s mischaracterization of the educational approach used in New York City schools.

We run our schools with one goal in mind: excellence and high achievement for every student. This—not a pledge to a particular political orthodoxy—is the motivation behind the intense investment of time and energy we put into our kids. Research shows that students achieve more at integrated schools—and we know integration works, because we see it working in our schools.

Despite Mr. Packer’s

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