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Why American public schools are still broken

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NPR, September 2026

In 1966, the federal government commissioned a massive survey aimed at solving educational inequality. Instead, the explosive Coleman Report unleashed a 60-year debate over race, resources, and what education in America is actually for. This is the story of how the report came together… and the policy whirlwind that followed.

Guests:

  • Victoria Cain, Associate Professor of History, Northeastern University 
  • Thomas Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard University

Listen at NPR.

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