For all kids, school choice is smart choice

A nice Op Ed in the Boston Herald by the founder of the highly successful MATCH charter school in Boston.

    Public school choice benefits children of all races. But it most helps the families who’ve been worst off. Instead of black families fighting for access to good schools, how about good schools fighting to enroll black families?

    That’s a civil rights vision worth fighting for.

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For all kids, school choice is smart choice
By Michael Goldstein
Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Boston Herald

http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=156112

Instead of black families fighting for access to good schools, how about good schools fighting to enroll black families?

    Thirty years ago, Boston had about 30,000 black kids and 60,000 white kids in public schools. Just 9,000 white students remain, while the number of black students remains constant. Half will drop out. Among grads, few will enter or stay in college long enough to get degrees.

    Some argue that citing these realities is “piling on.” Let’s add context. Boston is viewed as one of the nation’s five best-managed urban districts. But that also says something about where we are as a nation. If a “top” district has those numbers, then we have a universal crisis for America’s black kids.

    Harriet Tubman tried to do two things: Help individual slaves escape and try to free every slave by promoting abolition. We should do the same in K-12.