Oct 17, 2016

Charter Schools & Race.


    Just about every topic of conversation in Alabama has a racial angle.

     And so it is with Charter Schools, private schools that are supported by tax dollars but that operate independent of public school systems.
     Now the National Association for The Advancement of Colored People board of directors has approved a resolution opposing the charters until several factors change:
1. Charter schools are subject to the same transparency and accountability standards as public schools
2. Public funds are not diverted to charter schools at the expense of the public school system
3. Charter schools cease expelling students that public schools have a duty to educate
4. Cease to perpetuate de facto segregation of the highest-performing children from those whose aspirations may be high but whose talents are not yet as obvious.

     The Alabama Legislature approved Charter Schools last year, but none is operating so far. A board set up to oversee them gave thumbs up to a couple of proposed schools last month, but no Montgomery area entities applied.

The national Black Lives Matter group opposes Charters, but The Atlanta Black Star newspaper reports:

A 2015 poll conducted by the Black Alliance for Educational Options in Alabama, New Jersey, Tennessee and Louisiana found that approximately two thirds of African-Americans supported charters. Another recent poll by Education Next revealed that 46 percent of African-Americans were in favor of public charter schools while 29 percent were against them.

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