Family Gentrification, Student Diversity, and Academic Achievement: A Case Study of an Urban Charter School

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Family and Public Engagement, School Choice, and Charter Schools

Abstract

This study examines the effects of a parent organized charter school in Jersey City, N.J. in the context of the gentrification of the
city. Based on ethnographic, survey and school and student level achievement data, the study examines the school's effects on issues of
equity and achievement. Using the concepts of cultural, economic, and social capital, the study highlights both the district and charter school characteristics, which can attract or deter diverse families. Similarly, the study highlights how families from various socio-economic and racial backgrounds learned about the school and how the school’s diversity has changed over time. Additionally, the paper examines school and student achievement in terms of the racial and socio-economic achievement gap.

Author

• Elizabeth Sarah Brown, William Paterson University