How Researchers Can Give Voice to a Marginalized Community

• In Event: School Choice, Stratification, and Civil Rights: The Buffalo Story

Abstract

In response to a 2014 Office for Civil Rights complaint filed against Buffalo Public Schools (BPS), our research team sought to identify barriers to accessing criteria-based schools for students of color. This paper describes the multiple approaches we used to engage low-income parents, parents of color, and non-English speaking parents—parents of the very students who had been barred from enrollment in BPS’s criteria-based schools—in the research process.

Parents consider various school characteristics when making choices (Hamilton & Guin, 2005). In order to describe the barriers that families face in accessing schools, it is necessary to determine what information parents possess and how they use this information to navigate systems of choice. In doing so, it is essential to learn about the experiences of all parents and students, especially those who have been marginalized.

We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2014) to address the goal of reaching as many parents as possible. First, we conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups, which we analyzed using open coding to identify common themes (Merriam, 2009). Next, we administered quantitative surveys, which were informed by the qualitative data. We analyzed each group of parents’ survey responses separately—those whose children did attend criteria-based schools and those whose children did not—and then identified between-group differences.

Our data sources included semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 117 parents. Some sessions were with organized parent groups; others were open sessions that had been advertised to parents in multiple ways. Meetings were held at a central location, accessible by public transportation, during the day and in the evening. More data were gleaned through an email address and phone number we provided for parents to reach us. Both the email address and phone number aired on the local television station and were printed in the newspaper. 83 parents responded (73 by email, 10 by phone). Additionally, we conducted a phone survey in English and Spanish. An independent firm administered the survey to the two groups of parents. The firm made up to 15 attempts to reach each parent. 860 parents participated (459 parents whose children attended criteria-based schools, 401 parents whose children did not).

Through these multiple and varied approaches, we were able to more accurately capture parents’ voices, including those who had been marginalized from criteria-based schools. In our report, we included both the quantitative findings from the surveys as well as many quotes from parents, allowing their voices to contribute to this important work.

Findings indicate multiple barriers: insufficient number of choices, transportation, use of standardized tests as an admissions criterion, inadequate preparation, insufficient information, lack of support for ELLs, and an unclear admissions process.

This paper could benefit scholars who are committed to working with populations that are difficult to reach. Our findings and the inclusion of parents’ voices in our research demonstrate to policymakers and practitioners the valuable insights that parents who are typically excluded from the decision-making process can contribute when they are encouraged and permitted to do so.

Authors

• Gary A. Orfield, University of California - Los Angeles

• Brian Woodward, University of California - Los Angeles

• Jenn Ayscue, University of California - Los Angeles