Choice, Charters, and the Niche' School Effect: The Re-Balkanization of U.S. Education

Public Charter Schools in the United States undermine decades of equity policies in K--12 public education. After reviewing abundant literature regarding racial segregation in Public Charter Schools and several state policies aimed to achieve racial/ethnic balances in Charter Schools, this paper discusses a new genre of Charter School and argues that the segregationist effect posed by these specialized institutions is a form of Re-Balkanization in U.S. Education. Niche' Charter Schools create educational environments that cater to specific target populations and Balkanize U.S. K--12 education based on Ethnic, Cultural, and Religious identities. This paper provides examples of Niche' institutions and determines that these institutions have and may continue to enable segregation and Re-Balkanization in U.S. K--12 public education. This paper provides recommendations for further research and potential policy prescriptions to address this phenomenon.