Public school choice: Implications for African American students

Journal of Negro Education, The, Winter 1994 by Peterkin, Robert S, Jackson, Janice E

Whether promoted in the interests of desegregation, school choice, or school reform, the magnet school concept has grown from 14 districts nationwide in 1976, to 1,000 schools in 138 districts in 1981, and to 2,652 schools offering a combined total of 3,222 magnet programs at the end of the 1991-92 school year (Steel et al., 1993). Magnet schools are clearly viewed as a highly desirable option.

TRANSFERRING THESE LESSONS TO THE DISTRICT LEVEL

Alternative schools, magnet schools and programs, and schools-within-schools may have the potential to assist in the improvement of the academic achievement of African American students. However, if these improvements are real, can they be translated to the larger context-that is, to big city school districts? The previous discussion in this article has emphasized the importance of thematic education to the choice equation; schools serve their students better when their educational philosophy, pedagogical approach, and personnel selections are focused on a particular theme.

As we advocate for a plan for the creation of a system of controlled choice based on thematic development in all schools, we are compelled to examine the pitfalls of the innovative models under consideration. While these models may have demonstrated some effectiveness with African American students, their implementation has not been without problems. Three potential problems to avoid are limited access, the creation of a two-tier system, and elitism.

By their very nature, magnet schools are exclusionary. Under most magnet plans, not all of a districts schools are designated as magnets. If these programs become oversubscribed, as they often are, students may be selected by lottery or on a first-come, first-served basis. Whatever process is used, a large number of students will potentially be denied access to these schools. In a system of choice, however, students and their parents have access to all the schools in the district.

In districts with only a few magnet schools, one often hears complaints from neighborhood parents of a "two-tier effect." Magnet schools are in the first tier, with the attention and resources that accrue to program development. Neighborhood schools are in the second tier, with less glamour and at least the perception, if not the reality, of receiving fewer resources. In Milwaukee, for example, some parents in neighborhood schools have referred to themselves and their children as "lottery losers," or as those who attend neighborhood schools only because they cannot get into the magnets.

In districts where the number of spaces in magnet schools is limited, questions often arise about the demographics of the accommodated student population. There is a fear that magnet schools may benefit only a select group of students--namely, the more academically able and more affluent ones--at the expense of others. Research shows that nonWhite students were somewhat more likely than Whites to enroll in magnet programs, but that fewer low-income students were enrolled than district demographics would predict (Steel et al., 1993).