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The Illusion of Choice: Is School Choice an Option for Black Students in the Twin Cities?

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By Don Allen, Journal of A Black Teacher (Academic Editorial Opinion, if such a thing exists. Postmodernism says yes—there are no rules using this writing style.) Minneapolis, Minn...School choice has been described as a panacea for most of the varied and numerous challenges students go through in the American system of education over the past few years. Proponents indicate that school choice enhances competition, empowers parents, and leads to better student learning outcomes. On closer scrutiny, though, it is not a political or educational choice for students of color in the Twin Cities area. It enhances already existing inequities and undermines actions toward more significant equity in education. The Illusion of Choice The very notion of school choice assumes that as soon as parents have the right to decide where their children will go to school, all children will gain access to good schooling; this is not true; this is fundamentally incorrect. Indeed, one message from a decade of