On
Wednesday, January 28th, thousands of parents and students marched down the
streets in Montgomery, Alabama, demanding that their state recognize the growing
need for more options in elementary and secondary education. The march was a
part of National School Choice Week, a movement which aims to give parents more
control over their children's education through the implementation of voucher
systems and charter schools. Parental control when it comes to their children's
education, the movement argues, is largely lacking in the current education
system where children are geographically zoned for a specific public school.
"It's ironic that we are here in Montgomery, Alabama, still trying to
figure out ways in which people can gain control over their lives," says Dr.
Howard Fuller, of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and a former civil
rights advocate in the 1960s and 70s.
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