Charter Schools Shrink Boston’s Vision for Public Ed
Photo by ThoseGuys119
“50,000 families of color on wait list for charter skls in NYC while so-called progressives say no. Something seriously missing in this pic.”
While this Tweet from former school chancellor Joel Klein refers to NYC, he could mean any number of cities where pitched battles over charter schools have raised a complicated question: Who exactly is a progressive when it comes to education?
Take Boston, a city embroiled in a fierce fight over whether to raise a state cap limiting the amount of money that can be diverted from public schools to pay for privately-run charter schools. The dispute pits the teachers union against charter advocacy groups, and families (overwhelmingly black and brown) who want more charters against other families (often middle class and white) who fear that continued charter expansion will mean the death of the existing system.
But the story has begun to depart from this familiar narrative. Civil rights leaders like Mel King are joining the chorus of charter critics. At a recent hearing at the Statehouse, the 87-year-old King told members of the Education Committee that charter schools fall far short of what he calls the “Pledge of Allegiance” test. He said:
“If the solution is only meant for a few kids, and all the rest of the kids are left out, where is the liberty and justice for all?”
I spoke with King recently, and it’s striking just how much bigger and more comprehensive his demands are than the “access to high quality seats” vision held by charter school advocates.
“It’s about a community having control of its resources and allocating those resources in a way
- See more at: http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/11/188396/charter-schools-shrink-boston%E2%80%99s-vision-public-ed#sthash.GdVbV4wl.dpuf
