European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 2, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 12 the stars and stripes saturday september 1, 1978 James j. Kilpatrick expert changes mind it s largely ignored twelve years ago professor James s. Coleman delivered himself of a report on school desegregation. In glowing terms he proclaimed the educational benefits to Black children that would flow from Inte grated classrooms. In those Days the author of the Coleman report was the Liber als Darling. Then disillusion set in. The More professor Coleman looked at his evidence the More he became dissatisfied with it. The studies of other researchers fortified his doubts. Publicly acknowledging that he had fallen into Wishful the pro columns comments lessor recanted. Now he has delivered himself of a Brief but powerful paper set Ting Forth half a dozen incorrect beliefs about desegregation. At least in Liberal Cir cles he is nobody s sweetheart now. Professor Coleman s paper was delivered april 21 before a Community College in Dearborn. Mich. Considering his Eminence in the Field of civil rights it is curious that his address has received so Little attention. Here he is on the attack. In the genteel world of Academia he punches with some thing close to Bare Knuckles. It was once assumed he notes that elimination of school segregate up owing to official actions would eliminate All or nearly All. Racial segregation in Public schools. This romanticism has now been dispelled. Most segregation is the result of residential patterns and it cannot Success fully be ended by court order. A second Assumption Coleman s Origi Nal Assumption of 196fi was that integration automatically would improve the achievement of lower class Black children. It has t worked out that Way. Careful studies show either no achievement effects or else what once appeared to be fact is now known to be fiction. It is not the Case that school desegregation As it has been carried out in american schools generally brings achievement benefits to disadvantaged a third false Assumption led the courts to impose busing orders to create instant racial balance. The judges supposed they could thus assign particular children to particular schools and make the assign ments stick. The judges were wrong. The court orders produced White flight to the suburbs and achieved instability within the major cities. The process continues. Seattle is about to engage in a plan which will almost certainly be in Illi Nois the state Board of education is still living with the romantic fiction that a government plan of student assignment will result in enrolments Matching that As professor Coleman attacks another set of incorrect beliefs that have prevented development of constructive policies. There is the Assumption that lower class Black parents when provided with Opportunity for Choice in education will not use it. This belief is in part a conceit of educational professionals who believe they know bet Ter than parents or children what is Good for the it also manifests the arrogance of the White Liberal who believes that while Blacks should be Given Bene fits they should never be Given in Point of fact says professor Coleman Blacks increasingly have turned to Catho Lic parochial schools in order to escape the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government. The Low educational standards disorder physical danger and moral risk they see in the Public school to which their child has been he would enlarge the opportunities for Freedom of Choice first through the voluntary Transfer of minority children to schools of their Choice any where in a Given state and second through the use of tuition vouchers to be used in any accredited school Public or desegregation can be made to work in our major cities professor Coleman believes but Only through some Radical changes in thinking at High Levels. There must be less coercion by government and More incentives toward voluntary cooperation with parents. We should rid ourselves of the curiously racist notion that All Black schools Are inherently inferior. This simply is not so. Of great importance state Legislatures must prevent suburban school districts from barring transfers by inner City children. The original Coleman report of 1966 was widely publicized. It was cited As scholarly authority in dozens of court Opin ions. The professor now has confessed error boldly and courageously and has done his Best to Correct the record. But Don t hold your breath until the judges who cited Coleman i begin to cite Coleman ii in Stead. C Washington Star Syndicate William Safire e making villains out of All Hawks if you Are disturbed at the Way Jim my Carter is trying to undercut a free elec Tion in Rhodesia or if you suspect that the Salt ii treaty May be dangerous to . Security then you Are in danger of being labelled a member of the Radical right and Ultra rightist and a right Wing sex so indicates the chairman of the demo cratic National committee in a recent fund raising letter to 389.000 of his closest friends. Chairman John White who headed the Mcgovern Campaign in Texas was championed for his dec Post by Richard Moe Liberal Walter Mondale s aide the Mondale Choice of John White was endorsed by Robert Strauss and carte rite Tim Kraft. A Liberal Bent might have been expected from this backing but the strip Dency of democratic chairman White s rhetoric and the Stone age Quality of his message is a suprise. Much of the right Wing Effort charges Democrat White is directed toward american foreign policy particularly our efforts to conclude a strategic arms Limi tation treaty with the soviet Union. But the Ultra right will do everything in its Power to subvert arms warming to his attack on the villainy within the democratic chairman added the right Wing extremists. Have opposed the efforts of president Carter Secretary of state Vance and United nations ambassador Andrew Young to develop an african policy based on the traditional american values of Independence and self determination. In other words these Ultra conservatives want nothing less than to turn the clock Back and recreate Many of the attitudes and policies which led to America s involvement in the that shrill rallying cry does not necessarily attack republicans but makes Vil Lains out of All Hawks especially the democrats in the Kennedy Johnson Era who ignored the advice of the Mcgovern and Mondale. Accordingly the chairman s unspoken inclusion of democratic hardliners right Wing extremists aroused the ire of the coalition for a democratic majority. Ben Wattenberg longtime close associate of sen. Henry Jackson sent a saddened response to White with copies to democratic friends As you know a number of prominent and highly respected democrats Are re viewing the forthcoming Salt treaty with some scepticism. These include sen. Jack son a former chairman of the dec sen. Moynihan and sen. Nunn. No one who knows these men would dream of thinking of them As right wingers extremists Ultra conservatives or reactionary conservatives yet that is the inflammatory language which your letter in Africa the Carter Mondale Young clique decided to destroy the settlement for Black majority Rule worked out by rho designs willing to let some Whites stay in Stead this administration demands the inclusion of terrorists now trying to Block a National election who avow a one party All Black state. Democrats opposing the Carter line of Active defeatism were Casti gated As right Wing extremists by the democratic chairman. Responded demo crat Wattenberg it was the United states Senate and a what is this the new National pastime ? " a a i majority of its democrats which recently voted to remove american economic sanctions against Rhodesia if and when the rhodesian government holds a fully free election. The House of representatives adopted an amendment even More at Vari Ance with the administration s position. Surely All these senators and Congress men and their supporters cannot be de scribed As right Wing extremists in the political vocabulary the code word for Liberal Dove is chair Man White defined the word correctly in his letter sure Many progressives Are tired from the Battles to end the War in Vietnam and guarantee civil rights in haying underscored the words Liberal Dove meaning the head of the democratic party urged his letter recipients to provide the muscle behind the drive to re elect progressive asked Wattenberg does that mean that democrats who question the Salt treaty or this administration s african pol icy Are not progressives and will not be helped i was under the impression that the dec was supposed to help All demo there the matter festers. Chairman White is unrepentant i would write that letter today he tells me adding that to would also continue to use the name of an Drew Young in solicitations. Thus demo cratic strategists have chosen right Wing extremists As their bogeyman in 1978, just As Spiro Agnew showed his Radic Libs in 1970. But in this Case Carter s party Leader is blazing away at his party s right foot. Two weeks from now the president is scheduled to lend a Campaign hand to democrats in the Carolinas new Jersey Pennsylvania and Ohio. He is not Likely to take the archaic line or the harsh tone of his Hatchet Man. But the democratic split is beginning. The Prophet Elijah knowing that a. Storm was on the Way sent his servant to the window and the servant reported there Friseth a Little Cloud out of the sea like a Man s hand. C new York times
