The Choice Channel

“Readers of The Arizona Republic this year have witnessed writers, including Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction, lobbing charges of racism at each other in an education battle royale. Many have no doubt found the fight troubling and will likely find it even more upsetting to learn that these conflicts are inevitable in any school system for which many must pay, but only a few can control. Thankfully, though elusive, peace can be attained. The war of words in The Republic began with Linda Valdez’s Jan. 29 column (’Let’s ditch ’50s mentality: Ethnic studies aren’t “frivolous” but important to our children’s education’), in which she upbraided Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne for arguments put forward by Eric Bristow, an attorney working for Horne, in U.S. District Court proceedings to determine if Arizona is adequately funding instruction for non-English-speaking students.” (02/25/07)