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Molly Hartness
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
November 10, 2016
Does Parent Choice Drown Out A Poor Kids Voice?
Honestly, we may have chosen the charter school if your dad wasnt the public
school superintendent. I remember my mom explaining something along these lines to
my sister and me in the midst of my fourth grade year. We had just moved to Mount Airy,
NC, and a prevalent issue dividing the town was whether the local charter school was
superior to the public schools. My dad had recently been named the superintendent of the
citys public schools, and he immediately saw the negative effect of the Millennium
Charter Academy in the town. The charter school professed to be welcoming to all, but
the environment of the campus was polluted with an air of arrogance and racism. My dad
shared horrific stories of discrimination in the application process and corruption of the
charter schools leaders. The city held tension among citizens because of the partition
caused by the charter school.
Knowing these things, I shuddered at the thought of my parents ever choosing for
me to attend Millennium. In retrospect, I understand my moms comment. What
newcomer would not want to send their child to Millennium? They had a beautiful
facility, thriving arts program, and successful academic results. From an outsiders
perspective, Millennium seemed like the perfect school for your childif they were
middle to upper class, able-bodied, and Caucasian. This is the problem. My mom cared
about me and my education. I should be grateful, and I am, but I also know about the

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countless other parents who do not care. Because of this disparity between parent interest
and activity in their childs life, I witnessed the charter school become the place with the
haves and public school become the place with the have-nots. There is nothing
inherently wrong with charter schoolsmany are successful. But when they become a
place for parents to send their children to get away from the poor and diverse kids, we
have a problem.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, charter schools are
publicly funded but privately run schools. Essentially, charter schools are just like public
schools except for the fact that they are not dictated by the state and they are free to make
their own rules about curriculum, admittance, and core goals. Also, a child must apply to
attend a charter school. When researching education reform, Michelle Rhee is a name
that will not take long to pop up. Rhee is an advocate for charter schools because she
never wants families to feel like their kid is trapped inside a failing school. She
explains this in an interview with the Brookings Institution. However, she also indicates
charter schools are not a magic bullet for education reform, and any unsuccessful
charter school should be evaluated and possibly shut down.
It is understandable why charter schools are gaining popularity. A Gallup poll
documented by Shane Lopez in 2010 revealed that 79% of Americans would grade public
education at a C or lower. There is a widespread view among parents, students, teachers,
politicians, and average citizens that our schools are not as good as they could be.
Geoffrey Canada, the head of the Harlem Childrens Zone, a huge school and resource
center for a span of impoverished neighborhoods in New York, delivered a powerful TED
Talk about education reform. Canada prompts the audience to wonder why everything but

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education has evolved in the past 50 years. He asserts that educators are clasping onto the
business plan for schools that has been in place for decades, but has lost its success. In
reality, Canada is correctmany broken policies in education have remained stagnant
and crippling. In the classroom, if children arent successful, we teach them to modify
what did not work and try again. In the meantime, we keep showing up to the first day of
school hoping the year will be magically different when we havent actually made any
changes. Many people, including myself, agree with Canada in the idea that something
needs to happen in regard to our current school system. The question is if charter schools
solve the issue or simply add to it.
Education is regulated by the state. Therefore, politicians play a large role in the
success or failure of public schools and charter schools. In the recent presidential
campaign, education has not been a hot topic, since it is not a federal topic, but it has
been mentioned in the platform of both candidates. Our newly elected president is Donald
Trump. On his official website, his vision is stated: Give states the option to allow these
funds to follow the student to the public or private school they attend. Distribution of this
grant will favor states that have private school choice, magnet schools and charter laws,
encouraging them to participate. In other words, Trump favors a system of parent choice
and seeks to encourage states to implement vouchers. The definition of voucher is
explained on the National Conference of State Legislatures website as state-funded
scholarships that pay for students to attend private school rather than public school. With
vouchers, if a student decides to leave public school, money travels with them and
transfers from the public school to whatever charter or private school they attend.

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In contrast, the leading candidate for governor in North Carolina, Roy Cooper,
states his education plan on his official website: I support strong standards and openness
for all schools, particularly charter schools. While some charters are strong, we see
troubling trends, such as a re-segregation of the student population, or misuse of state
funds without a way to make the wrongdoers reimburse taxpayers. Cooper is afraid that
taxpayer dollars for education will be taken from public schools and placed into corrupt
charter and private schools that have no accountability. If Cooper wins the vote, it will be
interesting to see how the policy on education in North Carolina shifts.
On U.S. News Ranking of Best Charter High Schools in America, BASIS School
in Scottsdale, AZ, is ranked #1. They have a 100% graduation rate, and their college
readiness index is 100. To my surprise, the minority enrollment is 53%. However, on the
National Center for Education Statistics website, it is revealed that the 53% minority is
largely Asian students. There are 335 Asian students, 356 white students, 35 Hispanic
students, and only 12 African American students. While Asian students are still a minority
in our country, the school isnt as diverse as proclaimed.
Just fifteen miles down the road from BASIS Scottsdale is Coronado High
School. This is a public high school. From analyzing the data on the National Center for
Education Statistics website, we learn that minority enrollment is 75%. Hispanic students
make up 54% of the school. 73% of students are economically disadvantaged. In contrast
with the charter school, Coronado High has a graduation rate of 71% and a college
readiness index of 8.1. At BASIS, 100% of students who take Advanced Placement tests
pass. At Coronado, 29% of students who take AP tests pass.

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These schools are in the same town, yet their data looks drastically different.
Through Arizonas voucher program, when a parent decides to place their child in the
charter school, money is taken away from the public school they previously attended. Is
this the reason for the strong difference in results for these two schools? Everyone is
praising BASIS Scottsdale for their excellent data, but no one seems to be advocating for
Coronado High School who is lagging behind and failing.
In my Introduction to Education class, we occasionally visit local schools to
witness teaching and school atmosphere first-hand. A few weeks ago, we traveled to Lake
Norman Charter High School. During our trips, we are required to reflect on our clinical
experience by observing several elements in the classroom. I sat in the back of the
classroom and watched a group of intelligent tenth graders discuss a novel. I looked
down at my paper and my eyes caught the reflection topic of diversity. There was no
diversity in the classroom. It was filled with Caucasian, privileged, and seemingly
wealthy children. Across town at Hickory Grove Elementary School where I volunteer,
the student population is strikingly different. I spend my Friday afternoons eating lunch
in a noisy cafeteria surrounded by energetic and sweet African American and Hispanic
third graders. The children seem to come from lower class families.
See, neither of these schools is representative of the American population as a
whole. On one hand, you have only wealthy Caucasians. On the other hand, you have
only underprivileged minorities. Our country is a melting pot of diversity, so why dont
schools reflect that? Simply put, these schools are segregated. They are not necessarily
segregated by race, but by socio-economic status. This is what I fear about charter
schools. On Alternet.org, author Jessie B. Ramey presents an argument against charter

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schools, saying that parents choice in their childs schooling does nothing but pulls us
from the idea of working together to solve problems. When our children go to school
with other children who are just like them, they are shocked when they go to college or
experience the real world. The social bubbles they have created growing up transfer into
adult life and result in misunderstanding and hatred between social groups.
The website of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California explains,
The charter school movement has been a major political success, but it has been a civil
rights failure. As the country continues moving steadily toward greater segregation and
inequality of education for students of color in schools with lower achievement and
graduation rates, the rapid growth of charter schools has been expanding a sector that is
even more segregated than the public schools. An article in the Raleigh News &
Observer written by Lynn Bonner reveals 36 percent of students were economically
disadvantaged, compared with nearly 55 percent at traditional schools. Does academic
success override civil rights? I hope not.
After conducting research, I have discovered a method of solution I believe would
be beneficial. There is an NPR article entitled Why Americas Schools Have A Money
Problem. It is overflowing with enlightening and surprising facts. For example, it begins
with a story about two school districts in Illinois. One district spends $9,794 per student
and consists of low-income and many ESL students. Another district spends a whopping
$28,639 per students and educates wealthy, suburban students. By including this story
along with many others, this writing uncovers the shocking discrepancy between funding
for schools.

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So where does this huge difference in funding come from? We can look to
property taxes. The NPR article also informs us that on average, U.S. schools receive
money from three sources: 45 percent local money, 45 percent from the state, and 10
percent federal. Therefore, wealthier areas will generate more money from property
taxes, and the schools in that community are able to use that money for instruction and
various other things. On the other hand, low-income areas house schools that do not
receive a ton of money from property taxes. At the end of the day, the charter school and
public school battle relates to this issue of school funding. My proposal is that if we equal
out the playing field in regard to money, all children with have a more equal opportunity
for a quality education. Creating more charter schools and giving parents a choice is
simply going to make the gap even wider.
In an article from The Public News Service, an interesting point is made. The
author mentions how public schools are one of the nation's few institutions where people
from diverse backgrounds come together. Charter schools put this idea at risk.
Rethinkingschools.org also lists and explains five reasons school vouchers pose a threat.
First, they argue that more private or charter schools and fewer public schools would
reintroduce the controversy surrounding separation of church and state. Because many
privately run schools are based on religion, this would be a source of segregation if parent
choice were implemented. The author of this article highlights his most important point:
vouchers further Americas power problem. Public education is managed by the
government and accepting of all peopleregardless of ability, race, sexual orientation, or
income. On the other hand, charter schools and private schools would be placed into the

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hands of the powerful. As a result, the people making all of the decisions would be
wealthy, privileged, and potentially corrupt.
Even after hearing these arguments, there is still a question left unanswered. If
charter schools have an open-door policy, why is there a lack of diversity in regard to
socioeconomic status and race? On the surface, the idea of parents choosing where their
child attends school seems brilliant. But, when you put it into practice, something goes
wrong. The parents who actively choose alternative schooling for their children are
generally educated and privileged people. As a result, these privileged children attend the
seemingly superior charter school. Consequently, the public schools are left with either
children whose parents intentionally chose to remain in public school, like mine, or
children whose parents could care less about their childs schooling. Should the latter
students have to suffer from their parents apathy? Is it fair to overlook the children who
dont have adults advocating for quality education for them? Is parent choice drowning
out a poor kids voice?

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Works Cited
Bonner, Lynn. "Charter Schools in NC Less Diverse than Traditional Schools, Report
Shows." NewsObserver. The News & Observer, 06 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
Canada, Geoffrey. Our Failing Schools. Enough Is Enough! TedTalks. TedTalk. 07 May
2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
"Choice Without Equity: Charter School Segregation and the Need for Civil Rights
Standards." The Civil Rights Project at UCLA. The Civil Rights Project / Proyecto
Derechos Civiles, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"Education." Donald J Trump. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., n.d. Web. 08 Nov.
2016.
"Issues." Roy Cooper. Cooper for North Carolina, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
Lopez, Shane J. "Americans' Views of Public Schools Still Far Worse Than Parents'"
Gallup. Gallup, 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
Michelle Rhee: Charter Schools Are Not a Magic Bullet for Education Reform.
YouTube, uploaded by Brookings Institution, 7 March 2013,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLtLma4MQYc.
Ramey, Jessie B. "The Problem with School 'Choice'" Alternet.org. Alternet, 07 Feb.
2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"School Vouchers." National Conference of State Legislatures. National Conference of
State Legislatures, 20 June 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Turner, Cory. "Why America's Schools Have A Money Problem." NPR. NPR, 18 Apr.
2016. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

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U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). The
Condition of Education 2016 (NCES 2016144), Charter School Enrollment.
Web. 05 Nov. 2016.