Critical Perspectives on School Choice: An Examination of Race, Class, and Gender in School Choice Policies

This chapter reviews the large body of literature described as school choice. Specifically, it examines three areas: charter schools, vouchers, and magnet schools. These education reform policies are premised on the notion of addressing racial inequity by offering parents and students—particularly those of color—options that ensure that schools are racially diverse. To the contrary, the chapter argues that such policies reflect broader societal inequities along race and class and goes on to look more closely at these inequities across those three domains. The chapter intentionally centers race, class, and gender as its analytical focus with a scholarly skepticism of what it views as neoliberal education policies.