Redefining Public Education, or Fragmenting Communities?

Charter-school advocates frequently argue that parents and students benefit from having a wide variety of educational options from which to choose. One consequence of the school choice that charters provide appears to be that more parents choose schools explicitly designed for demographic populations to which they belong.

In Minnesota, where charter schools began and have had time to mature, and elsewhere around the country, public schools targeting specific racial, ethnic or other demographic groups have flourished. Examples include schools whose students are predominantly Hmong or Somali immigrants, students who have been adopted from China, or deaf students in an American Sign Language immersion school.

Some critics contend that these schools are promoting de facto segregation, while others firmly argue that this kind of parent-driven school choice is valuable to these communities. Our story will examine the communities built around the schools, what needs of the communities the schools serve (and whether those needs are also served in traditional and more integrated public schools) and how these schools may be redefining notions of what roles American public education should fill.