The Atlantic

The Benefit of Racial Isolation

The charter schools praised by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are notoriously segregated. In some cases, that’s a benefit.
Source: Rachel La Corte / AP

Kriste Dragon grew up in Atlanta, a mixed-race child in a segregated school system.

When it came time to find a school for her children in her new Hollywood, California, home, Dragon was hopeful that the neighborhood’s highly diverse demographics would be reflected in its schools. But instead, she found a low-performing school system that was as segregated as—or worse than—what she’d experienced growing up.

So , equipped with experience as a classroom teacher and as the executive director of Teach For America Los Angeles, set out to

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