“Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson educated a critic about her academic background during a critique of her Emmy-winning television series last week.
Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, named Brunson on Twitter on Thursday, saying the actor and writer “went to charter schools for his entire education.”
“He seemed to like it at the time, he brought praise,” Allen added. “Once upon a time.”
brunson answer deems Allen “flawed and bad at research,” along with detailing his educational history.
“I attended only one high school. My public elementary school was established more than a decade after I left,” she he wrote on Twitter. “I liked high school. That school is now defunct, which is often the case with charters.
In the a second tweet, she added: “Loving something doesn’t mean it can’t be criticized. Thanks for watching the show.
Brunson, a Philadelphia native, attended the Charter School of Architecture and Design, or CHAD, which closed in 2020.
Her exchange with Allen came the day after the latest episode of “Abbott Elementary” aired, sparking a debate between real-life teachers and parents about the charter school movement.
Titled “Festival,” the episode follows Draemond Winding (played by Leslie Odom Jr.), the founder of a New York charter school chain, as he plans a takeover of the underfunded Abbott Elementary.
Converting Abbott from a public school to a charter school would require implementing a strict application process for students, potentially freeing up many teaching jobs.
Allen previously called out Brunson and “Abbott Elementary” for their description of the charter school movement. The March 2 episode, titled “Mural Art,” alluded to charter schools as being largely funded by “wealthy donors with ulterior motives.”
Many interpreted the line, delivered by Sheryl Lee Ralph’s character Barbara Howard, as a reference to Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, who has spent millions supporting charter schools and political action committees that support the election of conservative candidates.
Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Allen called the rejection a “free slap in the face to the rich” and a “hollow, evidence-free blow to charter schools.”
Brunson often used his show to extol the virtues of public education. However, his comments on the movement as a whole were measured.
“Are charter schools better? Maybe,” he told Time. “But can we support our public schools more so that we don’t think one is necessarily better than the other? Because public schools have so much to offer. And we wanted to focus on: How can we support our public schools?”
