School choice–encompassing charter schools, vouchers and open enrollment policies–has become a central topic in education policy debates in the United States. Discussions surrounding its impact on Black communities are particularly significant given longstanding disparities in educational access, school quality and academic outcomes. Scholars who examine school choice argue that, under certain conditions, these policies may offer mechanisms to address structural inequities in public education.
One commonly cited rationale for school choice is the uneven quality of traditional public schools, especially in urban districts with high concentrations of Black students. Decades of research document disparities in funding, teacher experience, infrastructure and academic outcomes between predominantly Black schools and their suburban or predominantly white counterparts. Proponents of school choice argue that when families are not geographically constrained to underperforming schools, they gain access to educational environments better aligned with their children’s needs.
Charter schools are often highlighted in this context. Thomas Sowell’s Charter Schools and Their Enemies synthesizes data from multiple states and finds that many charter schools serving predominantly Black and low-income students demonstrate higher graduation rates and test score gains than nearby traditional public schools. Sowell emphasizes that these outcomes are particularly pronounced in urban areas where traditional public-school systems have struggled for decades. His work argues that governance flexibility–rather than increased funding alone–can produce meaningful educational improvements.
From an academic perspective, the significance of these findings lies not in universal superiority of charter schools, but in the variation of outcomes. Research indicates that high-performing charter schools often adopt rigorous academic standards, extended instructional time, and strong school culture–factors that may disproportionately benefit students who have historically lacked access to such environments. For Black families in districts with limited high-quality options, choice-based systems may expand the range of available educational pathways.
Another argument frequently examined in the literature concerns parental agency. School choice policies shift decision-making power from centralized bureaucracies to families. Studies in education sociology suggest that parental engagement is a key predictor of student success. By enabling families to select schools that reflect their academic priorities or cultural expectations, school choice may strengthen family-school alignment, which some scholars associate with improved student outcomes.
Critics, however, raise concerns about potential negative effects, including increased segregation or uneven accountability. These critiques are taken seriously in academic discourse. Yet empirical studies cited by Sowell and others challenge the assumption that charter schools exacerbate racial segregation, noting that many charters are no more segregated than surrounding district schools and, in some cases, less so. The debate underscores the importance of policy design, oversight and transparency rather than categorical acceptance or rejection of school choice.
Importantly, discussions of school choice and Black communities must be contextualized within historical patterns of educational exclusion. For much of U.S. history, Black families were denied meaningful choice through legally enforced segregation and discriminatory housing policies. In this light, some scholars interpret contemporary school choice as a partial corrective–one that allows families to navigate systems that have not consistently served them well.
In conclusion, academic research on school choice suggests that its effects on Black communities are neither uniformly positive nor negative. Evidence from charter school performance, parental engagement studies, and outcome-based evaluations indicates that well-designed choice programs can offer benefits, particularly in underserved urban contexts. Works such as Sowell’s Charter Schools and Their Enemies contribute to this debate by emphasizing empirical outcomes and challenging assumptions embedded in traditional education policy. Ongoing research and careful policy implementation remain essential to understanding how school choice can best function within broader efforts to promote educational equity.
Dr. Goldy Brown III is a former Whitworth University Professor.