A Think Twice Review of:

Segregation, Race, and Charter Schools: What Do We Know?

Think Twice - Dec 19, 2016

Publisher/Think Tank - Center on Children and Families at Brookings

Author(s) - Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Richard V. Reeves, Edward Rodriguez

A report from the Center on Children and Families at Brookings attempted to compare various research findings on school segregation with a focus on expanding urban charter schools. The report argued that school quality is the primary determinant of student achievement, and that instead of addressing school segregation, policy should focus on improving the schools that students of color and low-income students attend.

Reviewer(s) - Erica Frankenberg, Penn State University College of Education

An academic review of the report finds the report has limited use for policymakers. Despite its claimed attempt to investigate research findings on school segregation, the report suggests that policy attend to school quality via school choice. The reviewer finds that the report presents a false choice between school integration and creating high-quality urban charter schools. She indicates that the report is limited because of its selective review and interpretation of the literature on race and poverty, and its questionable conclusions that are not reflective of the research consensus.