As the 50th anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board
of Education draws near, Boston charter schools may be adding to, rather
than resolving, the problems of racial isolation and unequal access to
learning opportunity in Boston.
A March 2004 analysis of Boston charter school enrollments for 2002-2003
highlighted the tendency of Boston charter schools to under-enroll the
district's most vulnerable students. (See:
http://www.massparents.org/charter_schools/boston-enrollment.htm
Students with disabilities, students who are learning English as a second
language, and students who require free/reduced price meal support are all
enrolled in 12 Boston charter schools at rates lower than their enrollment
rates in Boston district schools.
Further analysis of Boston charter school enrollments, by race, shows the
following:
--- Boston's charter schools are disproportionately enrolling African
American students. Although slightly less than half (47.2%) of Boston
students district wide are African American, approximately 7 out of 10
(71.1%) students in Boston's charter schools are African American.
--- Boston's Latino and Asian students are enrolled in Boston charter
schools at less than half their enrollment rate in Boston district schools.
One third (33.2%) of all Boston students are Latino or Asian. However, only
less than one out of seven (13.7%) students in Boston charter schools are
Latino or Asian.
--- White students enroll in charter schools (14.6%) at about the same rate
as their enrollment in Boston Public Schools (14.1%). However, most white
students (401 students, representing 84.2% of all white students in Boston
charter schools are concentrated in only four charter schools (South Boston
Harbor Charter School - 83% of 277 students; Neighborhood House Charter
School (33% of 206 students); Conservatory Lab Charter School (27% of 117
students); and Academy of the Pacific Rim (24% of 294 students).
The following findings are based on MA DOE enrollment data that can be
accessed from
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/home.asp?mode=o&ot=5&o=164 (Native American
students have been excluded from this analysis.)
Disaggregated enrollment data for all 12 Boston charter schools open in
2002-2003 reveals variations in enrollment by race:
- African American students: Boston's 12 charter schools enroll
African American students at a higher rate (71.1%) than district
schools (47.2%) overall.
- Latino students: Boston's 12 charter schools enroll Latino
students at a lower rate (11.3%) than district schools (29.4%)
overall.
- Asian students: Boston's 12 charter schools enroll Asian students
at a lower rate (2.4%) than district schools (8.9%) overall.
- White students: Boston's 12 charter schools enroll white students
at the same rate (14.6%) as district schools (14.1%) overall.
However, most white students in Boston charter schools are enrolled in only
four of the twelve charter schools in the city.
The following provides specific enrollment figures for Boston charter
schools:
Boston enrollment: District and 12 charter schools, 2002-03
-- Boston Public Schools enrolled
61,552 students in 2002-03.
-- Boston's 12 charter schools enrolled
3,269 students in 12 charter schools.
White students, 2002-2003
-- Boston Public Schools enrolled 8,679
white students -- representing 14.1% of all
students in district schools.
-- Boston's 12 charter schools enrolled 476
white students -- 14.6% of all students in the
charter school "district within the district."
African American students, 2002-2003
-- Boston Public Schools enrolled
29,053 African American students in 2002-03 -- 47.2%
of all students in district schools.
-- Boston's 12 charter schools enrolled 2,331
African American students in 2002-2003 -- 71.3%
of students in the charter school "district within the district."
Latino students, 2002-2003
--- Boston Public Schools enrolled
18,096 Latino students in 2002-03 -- 24.3% of
all students in district schools.
--- Boston's 12 charter schools enrolled 370
Latino students in 2002-03 -- 11.3% of all
students in Boston charter schools "district within the district."
Asian students, 2002-2003
--- Boston Public Schools enrolled
5,478 Asian students in 2002-03 -- 8.9% of all
students in district schools.
--- Boston's 12 charter schools enrolled 78
Asian students in 2002-2003 -- representing 2.4%
of all students in the charter school "district within the district."
Enrollments, by race, for individual Boston charter schools are as follows:
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School (294 students):
----- 23.8% white;
----- 63.3% African American;
----- 6.5% Latino;
----- 6.5% Asian.
Boston Renaissance Charter School (1,367 students)
----- 2.6% white;
----- 82.6% African American
----- 12.6% Latino
----- 1.8% Asian
City on a Hill Charter School (258 students)
----- 5.4% white
----- 83.7% African American
----- 7.8% Latino
----- 1.9% white
Codman Academy Charter School (60 students)
----- 1.7% white
----- 81.7% African American
----- 15.0% Latino
----- 1.7% Asian
Conservatory Lab Charter School (117)
----- 27.4% white
----- 47.0% African American
----- 21.4% Latino
----- 4.3% Asian
Edward Brooke Charter School (85 students)
----- 7.1% white
----- 68.2% African American
----- 23.5% Latino
----- 0.0% Asian
Frederick Douglas Charter School (194 students)
----- 1.0% white
----- 93.8% African American
----- 5.2% Latino
----- 0.0% Asian
MATCH - Media and Technology Charter School (161 students)
----- 7.5% white
----- 66.5% African American
----- 21.1% Latino
----- 5.0% Asian
Neighborhood House Charter School (206 students)
----- 32.5% white
----- 56.8% African American
----- 5.3% Latino
----- 3.4% Asian
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School (176 students)
----- 0.0% white
----- 83.0% African American
----- 17.1% Latino
----- 0.0% Asian
South Boston Harbor Charter School (277 students)
----- 83.4% white
----- 10.8% African American
----- 3.6% Latino
----- 1.8% Asian
Uphams Corner Charter School (74 students)
----- 6.8% white
----- 75.7% African American
----- 13.5% Latino
----- 4.1% Asian
Enrollment patterns in Boston charter schools suggest that public policy
supporting charter schools may be promoting racial isolation, in fact if not
in intent. Data suggest that all families may not have equal access to
opportunities at Boston charter schools. Moreover, some families may doubt
that their children "belong" in a charter school. Boston charter schools'
enrollments are weighted in favor of "mainstream" African American and, to a
less extent, white students, few of whom have "special needs" in terms of
disabilities and English language learning challenges. Those enrolled in
Boston charter schools overall are also less likely to be burdened by
poverty than their peers. The city's most vulnerable students largely
remain in the district schools.
Charter schools are public schools. They must be accessible to all students,
regardless of "special needs," and they must communicate widely and clearly
that they are welcoming of all children. None of the charter schools in
Boston have adopted popular two-way bilingual school or reverse-mainstream
models, for which Boston district schools have waiting lists and which would
encourage greater diversity.
Recruiting and outreach approaches, including English-only advertising and
meetings set at hours that conflict with other obligations, may prevent some
families from applying to charter schools. Schools' lack of capacity to
teach students with special needs may also discourage some families from
applying to charter schools. Transportation challenges may further
contribute to self-selection of some families away from the charter school
application pool.
The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) should review charter school
practices related to recruiting and retaining all students to identify
factors that contribute to overenrollment of African American students in
Boston charter schools and that represent barriers to enrollment diversity
in these schools. The DOE should release a report to the public on the
findings of this review. Improved programming such as the Paideia School,
two-way bilingual, and reverse-mainstreaming models could promote greater
opportunity and choice in charter schools to all families. DOE should also
provide technical assistance designed to help schools diversify enrollments
so that all students have equitable access to Boston charter schools and
should monitor charter school progress in this area.
Anne Wheelock, Senior Research Associate
Progress Through the Education Pipeline Project
Boston College
617-524-7324
