Ed Notes Online: The Racist History of the Charter School Movement

Ed Notes Online: The Racist History of the Charter School Movement:

The Racist History of the Charter School Movement

• states and localities [in the south in the 60s] enacted “freedom of choice” plans that typically allowed white students to transfer out of desegregated schools, but forced black students to clear numerous administrative hurdles and, not infrequently, withstand harassment from teachers and students if they entered formerly all-white schools. When some segregationists began to acknowledge that separate black and white schools were no longer viable legally, they sought other means to eliminate "undesirables."
• Charter school operators (like health insurers who exclude potentially costly applicants) have developed methods to screen out applicants who are likely to depress overall test scores.... 

.....Alternet

A billboard in the south

Commentary: 
Charters have been sold to the black community as a solution. And we have had push back from people in communities whose only option is a weak public school - sometimes this is perception rather than reality. Choice has been the selling point and we point out that the end game will be the disappearance of the public school option altogether except for the kids the charters don't want  - see the re-examination of New Orleans "total charter and no public schools" to pear into the future.

• Salon:  “Reform” makes broken New Orleans schools worse: Race, charters, testing and the real story of education after Katrina--- Jennifer Berkshire (Edushyster blogger).

In essence, the south after "desegregation" ended up with the same dual school system we will see played out here --

But note this point in the article:

In the West and some areas of the South, it appears that charter schools “serve as havens for white flight from public schools,” according to the Civil Rights Project.  

They should include the current Eva Moskowitz Success Academy model in this scenario as she is placing schools in gentrifying areas to attract white and middle class black parents.

There have been a bunch of articles on this topic. This is a good one:
Truthout: Racism and the Charter School Movement: Unveiling the Myths

Another is the article below on the racist history of charters. It has been lurking on my desktop since January. Let's revisit as we come to the end of the dog days of August.

The Racist History of the Charter School Movement - Alternet

Touted as the cure for what ails public education, charter schools have historical roots that are rarely discussed.

By Christopher Bonastia / AlterNet

January 6, 2015

http://www.alternet.org/education/racist-history-charter-school-movement

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 Ed Notes Online: The Racist History of the Charter School Movement: