The NAACP opposes charter schools. Maybe it should do its homework

BY   Editorial Board    PUB   The Washington Post [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”15″]BEFORE NATIONAL board members of the NAACP gather in Cincinnati to decide whether to ratify a call for a moratorium on charter schools, they might want to do a little homework.[/perfectpullquote]
We would suggest a field trip to the District, where they would see how a thriving community of charter schools has reshaped education by providing a diverse array of educational programs. That the beneficiaries of this rich choice are, in large part, children of color hopefully is not lost on an organization that is supposed to be looking out for the interests of minority people.

The some-60 members of the board are set to vote Oct. 15 on a resolution passed in July at the NAACP’s national convention that roundly criticized charter schools and called for a nationwide moratorium on their growth. Among the alleged sins: draining needed resources from traditional public schools and fueling segregation. The resolution even went so far as to liken educators in the charter movement to predatory subprime-mortgage lenders that put low-income communities at risk. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

Left to right: Jehison Aguilar, 10, Leon Mitchell, 10, and Dermon Briggs, 10, participate in Theo Ossei Anto’s writing class at KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle School, Friday October 5, 2012 in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Alan Spearman)

Photo by Kyle Kurlick for Chalkbeat

Chris Hondros/Getty