Isn’t desegregation a measure of educational quality?
Real reform begins early and accounts for racial and economic diversity
Admit it. Many middle-class families are scared to send their children to schools with low-income children of color.
More than 60 years after the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, that mandated desegregation in schools, and after 25 years of education reform, white families aren’t flocking to neighborhood schools or charters with black children. In my view, faith-based schools are filled with people who are afraid of poor folk as much as they are God-fearing.
If we’re honest, the racial bias associated with high concentrations of low-income black and brown students is the main reason why people whisper, “I’m not going to experiment with my kid.”
There are some people who aren’t afraid. Teachers and school personnel who work with low-income students are more likely to trust their own work and don’t see students as liabilities or risks. If teachers commit to sending their own children to public schools maybe people who pay tuition to alleviate their fears will follow.
Join the conversation later on Andre Perry’s radio show, “Free College,” hosted Tuesdays on WBOK1230 in New Orleans at 3pm Central/4pm Eastern 504.260.9265.
A coalition of seven charter school management organizations (CMOs) in New Orleans and the Kingsley House, a non-profit that serves low-income and vulnerable populations, have partnered to offer a “diverse by design” early childhood center. Diverse by design is the latest jargon that describes a concerted effort to create racial and Isn’t desegregation a measure of educational quality? - The Hechinger Report:
