The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court decision and desegregation were only the first steps toward the elusive goal of equity in education. For some Black...
Denita Dorsey, with son Julian Morris, 16, in Saginaw, Mich., said: “Segregation is abolished, sure, but our schools are still deeply divided along racial and socioeconomic lines. It makes you think: It’s been 70 years but was it worth it?” Since first grade, Julian Morris, 16, has changed schools six times, swinging between predominantly white and predominantly Black classrooms. None has met all his needs, his mother said.
“We wanted integration with accountability and that’s not what we received,” she said. “That’s why choice needs to exist but we still need high-quality options.”Dorsey made what she called a “contentious decision” in 2022, choosing Saginaw High School in Michigan, which is predominantly Black, over Julian’s predominantly white charter school.“I was challenged, and I had arguments with family.
In Prince Edward County in Virginia, which closed all its public schools in 1959 for five years to evade integration, state and local officials gave white families tuition grants and tax credits to attend private schools. No similar options were provided to Black families. The move inspired other states to adopt similar schemes before they were deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.
Today, some of the loudest advocates for vouchers no longer approach it as a way to push for social justice, said Claire Smrekar, a professor of education and public policy at Vanderbilt University. Rather, the focus is on parents’ rights and lifting restrictions that may prevent wealthier families from using the programs at schools of their choice.“This expansion is really extraordinary when you think about it,” Smrekar said.
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