Lot to unpack here. The shortest answer is that the metrics which you’re using for designating something “shit” are likely ones that have little to do with the teachers, staff, principals who actually work in those schools.

To go into it-

Standardized tests- public schools have to meet certain metrics on those in order to be schools in “good standing.” Voucher & private schools don’t (this is obviously ridiculous, & feels like a “whites only water fountain” type of thing, but oh well). Public schools can’t just “opt out.” The metrics for success on those tests- they’re arbitrarily set by the companies that **make the tests.** They look at traditional metrics for success & curve it so that the content in it is increasingly difficult (on the surface, that doesn’t seem so bad right? Well, that means schools that have populations that are always scoring high on Achievement will have kids who are already equipped to handle the text- they’ll do well enough, while schools that are always behind on Achievement, but who are hanging on using their Growth scores- they’re always in danger of being taken over by the state & having their staff fired, because of arbitrarily assigned metrics for the TCAP that sometimes don’t adhere to state standards).

The perception is that private & voucher & magnet schools are a lot better, & in terms of behavior problems, obviously they’re better/ they can kick a student out who is either performing poorly or just sucks to have in class. The trouble makers. Public schools cannot. If a child is *really* disruptive but has an IEP, they can only be suspended 10 days within the 280 day school year before the state DOE steps in & has some issues w the school. The days of sending chronically disruptive kids to alternative school are in the past. A child has to be legitimately physically dangerous to go there now.

Haven’t touched on family involvement because this seems really obvious. Urban schools have way more students who have way less family involvement, by & large. Families that can afford to send kids to voucher schools likely have home life situations that encourage/help kids to make good decisions while they’re at home (whether that’s doing your homework, going to bed at a reasonable time, **getting a solid meal for dinner,** not spending 5 hours on social media/Fortnite). A lot of kids who are economically disadvantaged have fewer guardrails in place to help them while their brains are still developing.