I Can't Choose for Them: How School-Level Actors Respond to the Demands of School Choice

• In Event: How Choice Happens: Understanding and Navigating the System From Varied Perspectives

Abstract

Despite substantial research showing low-income and minority families’ dependence on school-based information for general educational matters, relatively little research exists about school-level information provision about school choice options and the roles and experiences of school personnel providing such information to families. This paper analyzes interviews with 89 New York City middle school guidance counselors to explore the range of approaches they employ to disseminate information to the students and parents at the predominantly low-performing, high poverty schools in which they work. We offer a series of explanations for why, on the whole, these school professionals are firmly resistant to providing concrete, specific and personalized recommendations to their students about which high schools would be most suitable for them.

Authors

• Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, Seton Hall University

• Jennifer Jennings, New York University

• Sean Patrick Corcoran, New York University