Forced Desegregation Isn’t the Answer, School Choice Is!

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, decided that the Seattle, WA, and Louisville, KY, school assignment plans were unconstitutional, since the plans were based on race. Of course, there are many people who are outraged by the decision, and some people believe that this will somehow lead to increased segregation. Yet, Chief Justice John Roberts stated why he believes the plans were unconstitutional:

"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discrimination on the basis of race."

During the past 50 years, desegregation has worked well to a point, but instead of trying to force people  from different backgrounds to go to the same school, we should give parents options to send their kids to the schools of their choice. Through methods of school choice, from the Voluntary Inter-district Transfer Program that is used in St. Louis to send city students to the county and vice-versa, to school vouchers that allow people the freedom to choose where to send their kids, we can accomplish the goal of desegregation without the controversy. People of all backgrounds, no matter what race they are, want to choose good schools for their children, and at the end of the day, government does not need to force desegregation on people — they will choose it.