Dive Brief:
- The Movement for Black Lives released a policy platform last month that called for a moratorium on new charter schools, while other advocates for black students see charters as the answer — a split that highlights the divide between education reformers nationwide.
- According to interviews by NPR with reform leaders on all sides of the issue, the co-authors of the Movement for Black Lives platform emphasize their broad imagining for school reform, of which their approach to charters is one small part — and one, Jonathan Stith, says public schools have more generally never served black children.
- Those who back charter schools say they can be effective alternatives for black families who should have the choice to leave failing public schools, and many of these advocates believe high-quality charters should at least be allowed to be part of the solution.
Dive Insight:
Charter schools have divided communities across the country, and it is no surprise the black community is divided as well. This debate is a reminder that administrators cannot see any group as a monolithic entity. School leaders need to serve their local communities, with all the nuance they bring based on racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and regional attributes.
Schools serving diverse Latino communities often run into this issue, as well. Spanish speakers come from more than 20 different countries on four continents. They have different immigrant experiences, different cultures and traditions, different accents and different dialects. While people tend to expect diversity among white communities, it is often not the case when approaching black or brown ones. Administrators can take the lead in combating this reflex.