Abstract:The political popularity of charter schools is unmistakable. This article explores the relationship between charter schools and segregation across the country, in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and several dozen metropolitan areas with large enrollments of charter school students in 2007-08. The descriptive analysis of the charter school enrollment is aimed at understanding the characteristics of students enrolled in charter schools and the extent to which charter school students are segregated, including how charter school segregation compare to students in traditional public schools. This article examines these questions at different levels, aggregating school-level enrollment to explore patterns among metropolitan areas, states, and the nation using three national datasets. Our findings suggest that charters currently isolate epaa aape Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol 19 No12 students by race and class. This analysis of recent data finds that charter schools are more racially isolated than traditional public schools in virtually every state and large metropolitan area in the nation. In some regions, white students are overrepresented in charter schools while in other charter schools; minority students have little exposure to white students. Data about the extent to which charter schools serve low-income and English Language Learners is incomplete, but suggest that a substantial share of charter schools may not enroll such students. As charters represent an increasing share of our public schools, they influence the level of segregation experienced by all of our nation's school-aged children. After two decades, the promise of charter schools to use choice to foster integration and equality in American education has yet to be realized. Keywords: School choice; school demography; student diversity; educational policy Selección sin equidad: Segregación escolar en las escuelas charter Resumen: La popularidad política de las escuelas "charter" es inconfundible. Este artículo explora la relación entre las escuelas charter y la segregación en el país, en 40 estados, el Distrito de Columbia, y varias docenas de áreas metropolitanas con gran cantidad de estudiantes inscriptos en escuelas "charter" durante los años 2007-08. El análisis descriptivo de la matrícula escolar en las escuelas charter tiene el objetivo de comprender la matrícula y características de los alumnos de las escuelas charter y en que medida los estudiantes de escuelas charter están segregados, incluyendo la formas de segregación escolar y compararlos con estudiantes de escuelas públicas tradicionales. Este artículo examina esas cuestiones en diferentes niveles, la matrícula escolar agregada por nivel para estudiar los patrones en áreas metropolitanas, estados y la nación con tres conjuntos de datos nacionales. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que las escuelas charter aíslan a los estudiantes por raza y clase. Este análisis de datos recientes encuentra que las escuelas charter son racialmente más aisladas que las escuelas públicas tradi...

Segregation patterns in the nation's charter schools are studied. After reviewing state charter legislation that directly addresses issues of racial and ethnic balance of student enrollment, we briefly examine the racial composition and segregation of the charter school population nationally. School-level analyses, aggregated by state constitute the primary method of studying segregation in charter schools. First, we look at racial composition and segregation of charter schools by state. Then, we consider the differences in segregation between non-charter public schools (or simply "public schools" for convenience) and charter schools, as well as segregation within the charter school sector. We conclude with a discussion of the article's findings and recommendations to promote further racial 2 of 48 equity in this growing sector of public schools. (Note 1) Foreword

Inaction to address housing segregation in metropolitan areas has resulted in persistently high levels of residential segregation. As the Supreme Court has recently limited school districts’ voluntary integration efforts, this article considers the role of residential segregation in maintaining racially isolated schools, namely what is known about the reciprocal relationship between housing and schooling segregation patterns. In addition, it examines the residential and school segregation indices in the largest metropolitan areas since 2000, comparing relationships between the extent of school and residential patterns and changes in each over time. Finally, I consider the legal and policy options for how residential integration efforts might affect school segregation.

Purpose: School administrators and policy makers live in a complex, changing policy universe in which there are many competing demands and political pressures. Rarely is there much time to think about sensitive issues of long duration that are not part of the immediate demands they face. This article is about such an issue, a question that will deeply influence the future of schools and communities but which is usually ignored—the increasing separation of large sectors of our student bodies into intensely segregated schools with unequal educational opportunity. Research Methods: The data analyzed come from the National Center for Education Statistics, Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe, which contain demographic data about all public schools since the late 1980s. We rely on two measures of segregation, concentration and exposure/isolation index, to assess its current status and change over time in the nation’s public schools. Findings: This article describes the vast transformation of the nation’s school population since the civil rights era. As diversity spreads, so too does segregation by race and often class, including into suburbia in many large metropolitan areas. As a legacy of Brown, Black students are still more desegregated in the South than any other region of the country, but both Black and Latino students are experiencing rising segregation. Implications: We conclude with recommendations about possible responses educational leaders might pursue to make the promise of Brown a reality in the 21st century. Desegregation properly implemented can help equalize educational opportunities and prepare young Americans for the diverse society in which they will live.

This article examines how student movements between traditional public schools (TPSs) and charters—both brick and mortar and cyber—may be associated with both racial isolation and poverty concentration. Using student-level data from the universe of Pennsylvania public schools, this study builds upon previous research by specifically examining student transfers into charter schools, disaggregating findings by geography. We find that, on average, the transfers of African American and Latino students from TPSs to charter schools were segregative. White students transferring within urban areas transferred to more racially segregated schools. Students from all three racial groups attended urban charters with lower poverty concentration.