Critical Race Theory and the Proliferation of U.S. Charter Schools

Abstract

Charter schools have substantial bipartisan support for their expansion. Yet, the bulk of charter school research ascertains that the majority of students in charter schools do not significantly outscore their traditional school peers on measurable indicators of academic performance. Additionally, students in charter schools do not have comparable schooling experiences to their middle-class, White peers in affluent urban and suburban schools. Using critical race theory to analyze recent charter school research, we challenge the notion of marketplace theory as a viable reform strategy to create more equitable education, and we suggest that the substantial financial profits associated with charter schools are one reason policymakers continue to ignore the negative outcomes of charter schools and push for the creation of more charter schools.

The Closing Door

“…Although few researchers have considered critical race theory in their analyses of charter schools (see Chapman and Antrop-Gonzalez 2011; Chapman and Donnor 2015; Stern and Hussain 2015, for exceptions), even fewer have applied critical race theory quantitatively to educational policy. This approach allows us to understand how seemingly race-neutral processes of accountability (i.e., a charter school closure) disproportionately affect black charter schools.…”

William Frantz Public School: One School, One Century, Many Stories

“…21-36 ISSN 1718-4770 © 2018 To exempt the charter movement from careful examination represents an affront to all public schools but particularly to urban schools. The trend to "reengineer" (Buras, 2011, p. 313) United States public education through the charter movement disproportionately takes place in urban schools and with an over-representation of Black students where many perceive schools to be failing-even though there is conflicting evidence charter schools improve the learning outcomes for students (Chapman & Donnor, 2015).…”

Teacher Education and Teaching in the Present Political Landscape

“…Yet the bulk of research on charter schools indicates that the majority of students in these schools do not significantly outperform their traditional school peers on measures of academic performance (see, for example, Clark, Gleason, Tuttle, & Silverberg, 2015). And students in charter schools do not have comparable schooling experiences to their middleclass, White peers in urban and suburban schools (Chapman & Donnor, 2015). Additional research by Daniel Losen and his colleagues indicates racial and ability differences in suspension rates in charter schools serving primarily Black students and those serving White students (Losen, Keith, Hodson, & Martinez, 2016).…”

“…Additional research by Daniel Losen and his colleagues indicates racial and ability differences in suspension rates in charter schools serving primarily Black students and those serving White students (Losen, Keith, Hodson, & Martinez, 2016). Thus, the proliferation of charter schools as a school choice option raises critical questions for teacher education researchers about racial equity (Chapman & Donnor, 2015), (dis)ability rights, and (un) intended opportunity gap consequences. In the coming years, teacher education researchers will need to continue to utilize research to advocate for equitable teaching and learning in a marketplace sociopolitical educational climate.…”