Waters: Where Have You Gone, Cory Booker?
Cory Booker has been overshadowed by the numerous Democratic candidates competing against President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. He currently polls at a mere 2 percent and struggles to secure a place on the debate stage. However, Booker has the opportunity to reverse this trend by embracing his role in Newark’s educational progress. Three years ago, he referred to Newark as a hub of educational innovation that empowered parents to make choices for their children.
To distinguish himself from the radical ideologies of other candidates veering to the left, Senator Cory Booker should familiarize himself with the recent report issued by the New Jersey Children’s Foundation. The report highlights the significant academic growth experienced by students in Newark, whether they attend traditional schools or charter schools. This progress is described as both "real" and "meaningful."
Booker risks hindering his own campaign if he disregards the remarkable improvements in Newark’s traditional and charter schools. From 2006 to 2018, the average test scores of low-income urban areas in New Jersey, including Newark, rose from the 39th percentile to the 78th percentile in reading and math. The proportion of black students attending schools that exceeded the state proficiency average more than quadrupled during the same period. These achievements are essential talking points for Booker’s campaign and represent a far more "progressive" approach than simply adhering to the educational status quo.
It is important to note that the analysts behind the report, Jesse Margolis and Eli Groves, do not attribute these gains solely to any specific reform or set of reforms.
As someone who comes from a family of two teachers’ union members and as an advocate for school choice, I feel a sense of anger. As a lifelong Democrat, I am also ashamed. Currently, a majority of Democratic presidential hopefuls are resorting to baseless attacks on public charter schools, despite the fact that these schools have rescued many Newark families from a failing education system. The Democratic Party, which has historically championed equity and social justice, particularly for marginalized individuals who have been denied access to the American Dream, is now abandoning these principles.
The latest poll conducted by Democrats for Education Reform shows that 86 percent of African-American voters and 67 percent of Latino voters believe that parents should have various public school options for their children, including charter schools, magnet schools, and career academies, regardless of their location or financial status. Additionally, a recent poll by Education Next reveals strong support for charter schools among parents of color.
Unfortunately, support among white Democrats has declined, and these are the voters that candidates are actively seeking to appeal to. The leading candidates, perhaps afflicted by DeVos Derangement Syndrome, are aligning themselves against school choice.
Are you serious? I implore the aspiring leaders of the free world to listen to Sharif El-Mekki, who asserts that opposing school choice is yet another condescending and disrespectful way of telling black families, "I know what is best for your children, but you do not." Alternatively, they can visit a charter school in Newark, where it is evident that these students are defying the odds and excelling due to the enhanced educational opportunities provided by charter schools.
Maybe this criticism is too harsh. Maybe the Democratic candidates have fallen for Dale Russakoff’s distorted narrative (or, to be more charitable, a narrative that was premature) that the expansion of charter schools in Newark was a failure. However, the reality is quite different. Former Superintendent Cami Anderson, portrayed as an insensitive and oppressive figure in Russakoff’s book, actually made difficult decisions by closing underperforming schools and negotiating a teachers’ contract that rewarded highly effective educators, especially those who chose to work in the most challenging schools in the city.
After Anderson left, Chris Cerf assumed the position of superintendent and continued implementing further reforms, albeit in a more diplomatic manner. He even fostered a positive relationship with Mayor Ras Baraka, who now supports charter schools. Cerf also made adjustments to the universal enrollment system, which facilitates school choice for families in both the traditional and charter sectors. These adjustments aimed to ensure a more equitable distribution of the poorest children and those with disabilities among district and charter schools.
During this turbulent period, many critics of school choice predicted doom: charter schools would bankrupt the district, children with disabilities would be concentrated in traditional schools, and the charters would only accept the highest-performing students while causing a decline in district schools.
That is a considerable distance from the district that the state referred to in 1994 as "blatantly negligent and potentially deceitful" in its mission to educate children. In that district, half of the students in Newark did not graduate from high school, and the average SAT scores were 311 in verbal and 363 in math.
However, as mentioned in the NJCF report, there are still 15,000 students attending schools with low proficiency and minimal growth. These schools are concentrated in Newark wards where majority black families reside, including Malcolm Shabazz High School, where the average SAT scores are 396 in reading and 380 in math, not much of an improvement in the past 25 years. Yet, the political ideology prioritizes passing the Democratic litmus test on charter schools and catering to teacher union leaders, rather than creating opportunities for these students in high-performing district and charter schools.
Would Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Kamala Harris enroll their children in Malcolm Shabazz? Would you, Senator Booker? Certainly not. But the extreme left appeals to them like the Sirens of Greek mythology, enticing them towards a disastrous fate.
Unfortunately, the students are the casualties in this situation.
I do acknowledge the voices attempting to drown out these fringe Sirens. Jonathan Zimmerman draws a parallel between opposition to the Hyde Amendment, which hampers reproductive health choices for underprivileged women, and the promises made by Democratic candidates to hinder the growth of charter schools, which limits school options for impoverished families.
Amy Wilkins from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools points out, "What Senator Sanders is implying by attempting to restrict charter schools is that black parents, who overwhelmingly support charters, can no longer send their children there." Rann Miller reports on accusations made by black advocates that Sanders is trying to take away the rights of black parents to determine their children’s education. Shavar Jeffries, National President of DFER and former Newark mayoral candidate, tells NBC, "Bernie Sanders seems to believe that he, being in Vermont, knows better than low-income African-American and Hispanic families in their own cities about what is best for their children."
Let’s not forget that President Barack Obama, the recent champion of Democratic values, is a strong advocate for charter schools.
Even the new district strategic plan, NPS Clarity 2020, acknowledges the impact of charter schools in Newark and their role in supporting and improving schools within the large charter school networks.
So what should you do, Senator Booker? Will you, who once bravely entered a burning building to rescue a young neighbor, disappear into the crowd of pandering individuals who oppose school choice and would condemn Newark students to educational failure at Shabazz? Or will you proudly embrace your role as a key figure in Newark’s educational revival and support charter schools?
Please come back, Senator, and champion charter schools. Be the true progressive in this race.
Laura Waters writes about education policy and politics on platforms like NJ Left Behind, New York School Talk, and Education Post, among others. She served on her local school board in Lawrence, New Jersey, for 12 years, with nine of those years as president of the board.
