Sharmain is talking about how parents hunger for school choices. People who can afford it can select a top-notch public school, private school or religious school for their kids. People with less money rely on the public system yet still want choice.
She's making the interesting point that the Philadelphia public schools has a long history of school choice. Three prestigious magnet schools have been around for decades. Central High was established in 1836 (what do you know, it's the second-oldest public school in the country), Girls' High began in 1848 and Masterman in 1958. But those choices were available mainly to people who had good connections or students who were high achievers.
Today there are 30 special admission high schools with 15,558 kids and six middle with 2,374 students enrolled. Nearly 27,301 students requested transfers and 8,339 of those requests were approved. Sharmain's conclusion is that more choices are needed for all parents. Today, one out of every seven Philadelphia students attends a charter schools. She disagrees with those who say charter schools and the funding directed to them are ruining the district. The public schools are a collection of students and parents -- and many parents are choosing charters and other alternative schools.
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