For many of us, charter schools represent an educational opportunity for our children to excel, but are we creating a new kind of segregation in the process? Yes, according to a study by The UCLA Civil Rights Project which says ‘de facto’ segregation is alive and well in the charter schools they studied in the 40 states (and Washington DC). Here are the stats according to the report: 3 out of 4 Black students who attend charter schools are ‘intensely segregated’ with students that are 90% minority. But they got my attention when they characterized the charter schools with white populations of 1% or less as ‘apartheid’ schools. Is it me, or do you think it’s just plain wrong? Come on now, do any of us really believe that Black parents choose a charter school precisely because of its racial makeup?
What gets me is that when many of us were growing up we were in schools that had similar stats (or may have been bused to schools in other areas). However, I never heard the term ‘apartheid’ bandied about then. But the researchers are saying that there’s a difference between a student population drawn from the community and a charter school. The latter is open to everyone in a particular city. But I would argue if one has access to private education and the best public schools, charter schools simply don’t have the same attraction. Many Black (and Hispanic) families see charter schools as a beacon of hope. That’s why if you live in an urban area you can count on your local news to do its annual story on the lottery for spots in a charter school. Regardless of the parents educational background, these parents are fighting for their children’s future.
Now I’m not the only one who thinks this report is off-base with its assumptions. Those in the trenches remind us that the reason there are large populations of students of color is because there is an express need to combat drop-out rates among Black and Hispanic students.
“The civil rights issue here is the persistent achievement gap and high dropout rates for these students when they are left to languish in traditional schools that fail to meet their academic needs,” said Jed Wallace, CEO and president of the California Charter Schools Association, in a statement. “Parents and students, who have lost faith in the system, choose to enroll in charter schools.”
Now while we can agree or disagree with the study, I am concerned that someone may listen to The Civil Rights Project’s recommendation that enrollment be monitored—meaning that because they want more equitable stats there would be less seats for Black or Hispanic students. Hey I’m all for civil rights but doesn’t playing this number game defeat the very purpose of these particular charter schools—particularly the ones set up to help under-served communities? Professor Gary Orfield, co-founder of the group, doesn’t care, for him it’s the letter of the law not its spirit that matters.
“You can’t decide to just serve one group of kids,” Orfield said. “If you’re taking public funds, you’re subject to civil rights laws.”
I’d like to think Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is somewhere in heaven shaking his head in disbelief.
If you liked this post, we think you might like these too:
