Do you want the freedom to choose where your child goes to school? If so, according to Randi Weingarten, leader of the American Federation of Teachers, you’re a racist. Weingarten argues that terms like “school choice” and “parental rights” are akin to the language used by segregationists, so if you use these terms, you’re associating yourself with racism.
This isn’t the first time Weingarten has made these claims. In 2017, she referred to school-choice programs as “the only slightly more polite cousins of segregation.” Other teachers-union leaders have echoed this sentiment, with the head of Chicago’s teachers union claiming that “school choice was actually the choice of racists.”
Interestingly enough, it is minority families in New York City who are most actively engaging in school choice. 28% of black families and 14% of Hispanic families choose to send their children to charter schools. So, according to Weingarten’s logic, they’re all racists. It’s a perplexing argument.
Weingarten suggests that the solution is to attend a school that she approves of, which typically means a government-run school or, at the very least, a charter school with teachers who are part of her union. However, many of these schools aren’t the best option, particularly for minority students.
In 2005, Weingarten started a unionized charter school, with the promise of achieving measurable student success and disproving the notion that union contracts hinder success. However, by 2014, only 2% of its eighth-graders were proficient in math and 11% were proficient in English. The union eventually closed the school.
But if you don’t want to choose a school that gives your child a 2% chance of learning math or if you believe in your “parental rights” to choose a better school, you’re labeled as a racist. This notion assumes that any school outside of the government-run system is inherently “segregationist” simply because it operates independently.
But that’s precisely why charter schools exist — to offer an alternative that is superior to the district-school choices available. And in many cases, charter schools are succeeding, which is why more and more families, especially minority families, are choosing them. For example, 59% of students in Harlem now attend charter schools.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio shared Weingarten’s viewpoint, arguing that we should focus on fixing the entire system rather than saving a few children. However, monopolies don’t tend to improve without competition; they often worsen. Fortunately, in neighborhoods with a strong presence of charter schools, like Harlem and the South Bronx, parents are becoming increasingly demanding. They now expect high academic standards from schools. This puts pressure on educators to deliver, which is exactly what Weingarten opposes.
She wants to shield educators from the competitive pressures that most Americans face when choosing services. To accomplish this, she tries to smear school choice advocates with accusations of racism. However, parents, especially minority parents, who are embracing school choice, know better. And they’re proving it in New York City and across the country.
Eva Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools.
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