Theory and Research in Education 2015, Vol. 13(1) 56–86 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1477878515572288 tre.sagepub.com TR E Race, inequality of opportunity, and school choice Derrick Darby University of Michigan, USA Argun Saatcioglu University of Kansas, USA Abstract Both neoliberals and liberals call for mitigating inequality of educational opportunity stemming from circumstances beyond an individual’s control. In this article, we challenge the wisdom of making equality of opportunity hinge on emphasizing the distinction rather than the relationship between choices and circumstances. We utilize an empirical analysis focusing on the extent to which certain circumstances beyond the control of low-income urban Black adults (e.g. poverty and community instability) limit their eventual chances for maintaining traditional two-parent households, which in turn limits their capacity to make effective choices instrumental in improving the educational prospects of their children. We conclude from this that collectively bearing the burden of attending to differences in the quality of circumstances – in which these voluntary choices are made by poor urban Black parents – is something that we owe to each other whether we are neoliberals or liberals if we share a common normative commitment to equality of opportunity. Keywords Egalitarianism, equality of opportunity, inequality, poverty, race, school choice Neoliberals defend school choice for disadvantaged students on the grounds of equality of opportunity. Liberals support resource redistribution for public education over free market solutions by appealing to the same ideal. So Frankel (1971) had a point, even though he picked a provocative way of expressing it, when he remarked, ‘Equality of opportunity is everybody’s girl’. This ideal captures a common normative commitment to afford individuals the chance to make something of themselves by their own lights, to Corresponding author: Derrick Darby, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Email: dldarby@umich.edu 572288TRE 0 0 10.1177/1477878515572288Theory and Research in EducationDarby and Saatcioglu research-article 2015 Article by guest on March 13, 2015 tre.sagepub.com Downloaded from