Educational Delusions?: Why Choice Can Deepen Inequality and How to Make Schools Fair

Educational Delusions?: Why Choice Can Deepen Inequality and How to Make Schools Fair, by Gary Orfield and Erica Frankenberg. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2013, 330 pp., $29.95, paperback.What would you do if your child's accessibility to a quality education hinged upon your income level? Educational Delusions, appropriately entitled, speaks to this dilemma and to many misconceptions that exist within the American educational system. The key message that the book postulates is that educational equality must prevail and school choice, if properly implemented and monitored, is one viable solution. In addition, authors Orfield and Frankenberg inform us that school choice "includes the creation of charter and magnet schools, choice-based desegregation plans, transfer rights, and voucher programs" (p. 3). There is a relevancy and the urgency in balancing opportunities for a "fair and appropriate education." The authors unpack the value of "school choice" with empirical evidence that exposes systematic inequalities while at the same time offering viable solutions to end the educational polarization in America.Although the contextual density of the first chapter makes it difficult to read, a re-read clarified the authors' base for school choice. Furthermore, in true redemptive form, the authors managed to reactivate our interest in this popular subject. This provocative issue of choice is dear to the hearts of countless parents because our children's future and the quality of the life that resides within the educational opportunities available to them today.The book begins with a historical perspective of school choice and clarifies a vital link to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s as well as the development and transition of school choice options since. Then, in explicit detail, Educational Delusions recounts the lack of progress made toward the goal of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, its intent to desegregate schools, and its relevancy to the legislative journey of school choice. The authors also point out the Supreme Court's gradual shift away from desegregation policies, which significantly reduced the effectiveness of the Integration Theory of the 60s and 70s explained by Treisman and Gelade (1980). The Integration Theory, as a modified theory of school choice, "sees the root of inequality ... in social and economic stratification," whereas the current popular Market Theory, which gives parents choice options, sees government regulation as "a barrier to opportunity" and "presumes race conscious polices are not needed" (pp. 28, 42, 55). Concerned, the authors argue how school choice since its early development continues to perpetuate inequality in educational resources through housing and zoning regulations, leading to the condition known as White flight. This re-segregation occurs at numerous school districts nationwide, especially in poverty-stricken regions with substantial Black populations.In examining the progression of school choice-from vouchers that emerged prior to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to the magnet schools of the 70s, to the charter schools of today-the book illustrates how educational shifts aligned with choice endured for more than one-half a century. Today, the legislative momentum for the Market Theory approach to education is the result of the Supreme Court's 1990s de-emphasis on race-conscious policies. The authors purport that despite the fact that there is no significant academic advantage over public schools, charter schools continue to flourish as the popular school choice. …