# Hannah-Jones’ School Choice Crisis > A journalist’s decade-long school journey reveals why individual choices can’t fix public schools. - Title: Hannah-Jones’ School Choice Crisis · The New Yorker | Shortify - Summary: A journalist’s decade-long school journey reveals why individual choices can’t fix public schools. Nikole Hannah-Jones’ experience shows that systemic issues… - Keywords: nikole hannah-jones, najya, p.s. 307, unison school, public schools, school segregation, education inequality, standardized testing, politics, news, Hannah-Jones, School - Source: The New Yorker — https://newyorker.com/news/fault-lines/individual-choices-wont-fix-americas-public-schools - Author: Jay Caspian Kang - Published: 2026-09-29T10:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: nikole hannah-jones, najya, p.s. 307, unison school, public schools, school segregation, education inequality, standardized testing, politics, news ## Nikole Hannah-Jones starts school search Ten years ago, Hannah-Jones chose a struggling Brooklyn school for her daughter. > A New York Times reporter in a high-poverty school fucking changes the school, right? ## Hannah-Jones’ school choice logic She believed her privilege could fix underfunded schools with engaged parents. > There are certain things that are just not going to happen in that school. ## Najya’s early school struggles Najya couldn’t get emails from teachers at P.S. 307. > I can’t even manage to see her daughter’s schoolwork. ## Middle school at Unison Hannah-Jones sent Najya to Unison, a school for low-income students. > Unison serves low-income students and students of color through rigorous instruction. ## Najya’s math struggles Najya scored below grade level on a math test in fourth grade. > She was first alerted to Najya’s math struggles when she scored below grade level. ## Hannah-Jones’ parenting shift She paid for math tutoring after realizing her daughter’s needs. > I need outside math instruction. ## The school choice crisis Hannah-Jones questions if individual choices can fix systemic school inequality. > As long as we continue to rescue our own children from failing schools, there is no absolution here. ## Systemic school challenges P.S. 307 spends $52,349 per student with a 9:1 teacher ratio. > P.S. 307 spends an average of $52,349 per student. ## Unison’s academic results 45% of Unison students scored at or above grade level in reading. > Forty-five percent of students at Unison received a 3 or 4 on the state reading exam. ## Teachers’ contextual challenges Teachers at P.S. 307 often act as social workers for struggling students. > Teachers at P.S. 307 double as social workers for poor kids with complicated home problems. ## The Tuscaloosa comparison Tuscaloosa split schools after lifting integration, worsening segregation. > Tuscaloosa had one large high school before splitting into three segregated schools. ## Oakland’s school reform Oakland created small schools to improve equity but saw enrollment drop 40%. > Oakland added more than forty new small schools with enrollment dropping by more than forty percent. ## Hannah-Jones’ new stance She admits individual choices can’t fix systemic school inequality. > It will take decades of counterproductive work to provide quality education for all students. ## The math test paradox Standardized tests show gaps between grades and real understanding. > Tests show the gaps between subjective grades and real understanding. ## Systemic solutions needed Large integrated schools with tutoring can improve equity without individual fixes. > Make schools big, make them regimented, and make them impervious to graduate school whims. ## What happens next Hannah-Jones’ experience shows systemic change requires collective action. > We should still want public schools that educate everyone. ## Key takeaway Nikole Hannah-Jones’ experience shows that systemic issues in public schools require collective action, not individual privilege.