Chartering (Off-Course) "for Equity": Evaluating the Equity-by-Segregation Argument for Charter Schools

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Equity in School Choice Processes (Table 36)

Abstract

Charter school advocates argue school choice improves education for all students while shoring up the rights of individuals to choose schools. Critics have claimed that histories of race-based discriminatory practices undermine choice for Black and Latine/a/o communities. These histories play out in contemporary patterns of school segregation reflecting intersections of racialized and socioeconomic status. Some advocates dismiss segregation critiques via an equity-by-segregation argument, claiming intentionally serving majority Black, Latine/a/o, or lower-income demographics can improve academic outcomes for that specific student population. I use rational choice theory to evaluate the equity-by-segregation argument for charter schools, ultimately expressing the incongruity of segregated charter schools and rational choice.

Author

• Alejandro Madrigal, University of Texas at Austin