Do Charter Schools Help or Hurt? A Divided Black Community

The fight over charter schools has been building in the African-American community. These schools, which often operate in high-poverty areas and serve children of color, are viewed as a lifeline by many parents. But the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP, has long been concerned about charters, and is now calling for a moratorium on these independently managed public schools. The group’s president likens the charter school system to an “educational wild, wild West,” and is concerned about a variety of issues, including high suspension rates and unclear standards for accountability and transparency. Charter school parents, however, feel that the NAACP is out of touch with urban communities and the benefits these schools provide. Education Week correspondent Lisa Stark reports on this divisive issue from Memphis, Tenn.