"Separate & unequal" is a necessary step

In the article in my last email about Bill Perkins, he was quoted as saying that the rise of charter schools in Harlem has created a system that is "separate and unequal."  He's right, but it isn't a bad thing (and he intends it), but rather a cause for celebration.  Before charter schools arrived, with almost no exceptions, schools in Harlem with together and equal – in crappiness.  Here's a great statistic from The Lottery: in Harlem, in 19 of 24 regular public schools, more than HALF of the children are reading below grade level.  Thus, my response to both Perkins (and Randi) is that separate and unequal is a necessary step to get to together and equal – in a quality education for ALL children!