Touted as the cure for what ails public education, charter schools have historical roots that are rarely discussed.
As a parent I find it easy to understand the appeal of charter schools, especially for parents and students who feel that traditional public schools have failed them. As a historical sociologist who studies race and politics, however, I am disturbed both by the significant challenges that plague the contemporary charter school movement, and by the ugly history of segregationist tactics that link past educational practices to the troubling present.
The now-popular idea of offering public education dollars to private entrepreneurs has historical roots in white resistance to school desegregation after Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The desired outcome was few or, better yet, no black students in white schools. In Prince Edward County, Virginia, one of the five cases decided in Brown, segregationist whites sought to outwit integration by directing taxpayer funds to segregated private schools.
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5 comments:
I think it's pathetic to allege racism to anyone who wishes a better education for their child in a safe environment.
I agree with you 100% 6:49 pm. I am sick and tired of Liberal John Fredericksen and Margo Handy dropping the race card all the time.
Public dollars shouldn't fund charter schools. If a parent wants their child to attend a charter school, they shouldn't expect public dollars.
9:08 Bull crap the public school system is a wreck I shouldn't have to pay taxes for your kid and then pay more for mine to get a proper education, Most people who choose a charter school decide
for safety reasons and shouldn't be penalized.
Last week my kid came home to tell me they learned how Perdue and Tyson mistreats their chickens and we should by from somewhere else...What the hell is that?
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