Chapter 12 Resources
Howard Fuller was influential in passing a 1990 School Choice plan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first state-run publicly funded voucher program. Like Babette Edwards, Fuller’s activism shifted over time from community control to school choice. This excerpt from his memoir includes a discussion of the voucher program.
New York State Charter School Act of 1998
New York’s Charter School Act of 1998 allowed for the creation of charter schools as part of the state’s public education system. The act established that charter schools would receive state funds, but would have autonomy on decisions about issues such as hiring, innovation, and curriculum. Babette Edwards supported charter schools in New York City, helping parents to understand school-choice, and attempting to open a charter school in the early 2000s.
New York State Annual Report on Charter Schools (2007)
By the 2007-2008 school year, there were 60 charter schools in New York City. This New York State Annual Report on Charter Schools details the growth of charter schools in their first decade. The list of schools beginning on page 14 reveals how many of these charter schools were clustered in Harlem.
“Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap” (2018) and “National Education Policy Center Review: Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap” (2018)
These two articles illustrate the debate over “no excuses” charter schools, emphasizing high expectations and intensive disciplinary practices, which is discussed in chapter 12. “Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap” finds that “no excuses” schools produce greater educational outcomes. A response by the National Education Policy Center highlights the ways that “no excuses” practices can harm student success.
School Colors Podcast Episode 6 (2019)
The School Colors podcast from Brooklyn Deep explores “how race, class, and power shape American cities and schools.” It focuses on Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, combining a historical investigation of education in Bed-Stuy, including during the 1968 Ocean Hill-Brownsville Teacher Strike, with reporting on the current impacts of charter schools and gentrification. Episode 6 is about charter schools.
“Segregated Schools in Integrated Neighborhoods”
This map from the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs addresses school choice through analysis of racial and economic segregation in schooling and housing. It uses data from 2014-2015 and finds that schools in some areas of New York City are more segregated than those areas’ housing because parents are choosing to send their children to schools in other neighborhoods. The authors conclude that integration may not require changing school assignments, but could be achieved by reducing school choice.
Discussion Questions
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How does Babette Edwards’s story compare to other accounts of the history of school choice that you’ve heard (including the resources on charter schools above)? Who is the focus of those stories? What are their arguments for or against school choice? How does adding Edwards’ story change how you think about school choice?
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Babette Edwards has been an activist for Harlem children and families across her entire life. In this piece, Terri N. Watson describes Edwards as a Harlem “othermother,” a Black woman caring for the children of her broader community as if they were her own. Who are the “othermothers” in your school community? What do they want your schools to do for their children?