The Illusion of Choice and the Myth of Competition in the Education Marketplace

• In Event: School Choice and Questions of Equity

Abstract

This paper focuses on myths and assumptions that undergird the rhetoric of school choice for traditionally marginalized students, particularly students with disabilities. Pro-choice advocates argue that by providing choice through marketized education, students and families are able to access better educational opportunities to which they otherwise would not have access. This critical ethnographic case study took place over the course of one school year in a small, urban charter school which served students in grades 9–12 in a working-class neighborhood. The author explores three myths: that charter schools provide more choices for historically marginalized students, that these students are empowered through school choice, and that competition in the education marketplace leads to innovation and excellence.

Author

• Sylvia Mac, University of La Verne