A focus on violence
Marian Wright Edelman, a tireless crusader for children’s rights and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, came to Harvard on Wednesday to address a distressingly familiar topic: school violence. During a panel discussion at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), the activist and advocate for the poor and disadvantaged called for the nation to raise its collective voice against violence in society. Educational institutions “should not become armed bastions, with more guns in schools. Teachers need to teach,” said Edelman. Violence “is in our communities, it’s in our streets, it’s in our homes. It’s everywhere, and we need to deal with it as a broader cultural issue that affects all Americans.” The solution requires an approach that brings communities, ministers, parents, grandparents, corporations, and in particular students and young people into the conversation, the panelists agreed. Edelman was joined by John Merrow, education correspondent for the PBS “NewsHour” and president of Learning...