Twenty-five thousand people marched on Wednesday in New York City, reports Kate Stringer with The 74, to call for expanded school choice.
The march, organized by Families for Excellent Schools, called for the city to expand charter schools until they serve 200,000 students. That would double the number of students currently in New York’s charters, rising to about one-fifth of all New York students.
The city currently has 212 charter schools, with a combined 44,400 students on their wait lists.
Common, a rapper, performed at the rally and spoke in favor of charters. “I’m here to tell you that you participating and being a part of charter school success stories is your path to possibility,” Common said.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also spoke. “Everyone in this city, every parent, every child, deserves to have an option, regardless of race, regardless of color, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of immigration status, regardless of ZIP code,” Jeffries said.
Families for Excellent Schools says putting more students in charter schools would help close the academic gap between high-performing students and racial minorities.
On math and reading standardized tests in 2016, charter students scored 5 to 8 percentage points better than traditional public school students.
A 2015 study by the The Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford found that black and Hispanic charter students in New York City learned more in math than their peers in traditional public schools.
Charter schools are publicly funded and do not charge tuition, but they are privately run. Compared to traditional public schools, charters have more independence and flexibility in their operations and curricula, which is why many families find them desirable. They are open to all students, but due to demand they must often use a lottery system to allocate spaces.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
