We appreciate Lenae coming out to film this interview with Equal Opportunities for Students. She is a part of the Tell Your Story series.
She brought up a very good point about the problems with school choice. While in theory, school choice is a great program, it doesn’t work nearly as well in practice. Schools end up more racially and economically segregated as a result of school choice. This ultimately harms students of color and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Less diverse environments also lead to larger cultural divides. School choice can also lead to schools with less oversight, which is a double-edged sword. While less oversight can allow for teachers to have more freedom with their lesson plans, and allow principals to bring on and keep the staff they deem best for their school, it can also lead to many forms of academic discrimination. It can also lead to principals refusing to punish or remove unqualified or problematic staff, based on personal relationships. What is your opinion on school choice? How do you think schools should be overseen?