Askwith Debates – Charter Schools: Expanding Opportunity or Reinforcing Divides?

Speakers:

Derek Black, professor of law, School of Law, University of South Carolina
Cornell Williams Brooks, former president and CEO, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People); visiting professor, Boston University; senior fellow, Brennan Center for Justice.
Alisha Thomas Morgan, superintendent, Ivy Preparatory Academies; former state representative, GA.
Gerard Robinson, Ed.M.’95, executive director, Center for Advancing Opportunity
Moderator: Martin West, associate professor of education, HGSE; deputy director, Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard Kennedy School

Rapid growth in the number of public charter schools, which now serve more than three million students nationwide, has sparked debate over their implications for educational equity. Proponents contend that charters provide an escape valve for low-income, mostly minority students in struggling school districts, while critics allege that charters serve a select few, reinforce racial and economic school segregation, and destabilize urban communities. Some prominent organizations within the civil rights community have called for a moratorium on charter growth. Do charter schools enhance or undermine equity in American education? Should their growth be encouraged or curtailed? Join us as leading educators, policymakers, and researchers come together to debate the charter school movement and its future.


Please note: Eva Moskowitz is unable to participate due to unforeseen circumstances.