The Continuing Struggle of African Americans for the Power to Make Real Educational Choices

  • Article discusses the debate about school choice and argues for school choice as the means to expand educational opportunities and improve academic achievement for African Americans.
  • The author uses the Milwaukee school system as an example of the failure of court-ordered desegregation plans to achieve educational parity.
  • He suggests that the desegregation plan–busing–was actually a “forced choice” of greater benefit to whites than Blacks.
  • African American support of vouchers is increasing with their dissatisfaction with public schools—cites the increased participation in the Milwaukee voucher program.
  • Argues for school choice as a more effective method to equalizing educational opportunities than desegregation plans.