The Impact of Family Income on School Choice Criteria in a Midwestern Metropolitan City

• In Event: 77.057 - MTCC Roundtable Session 35
  In Roundtable Session: 77.057-3 - Conscious Consumers? Parent Perceptions of Choice Across Race, Class, and Gender

Abstract

Study of the decisions parents make during the school choice process is critical as choice policies become ubiquitous across the United States. Just as pertinent is an understanding of the impact family income has on the decision-making process. Relying on focus group and survey data from a large Midwestern open-enrollment school district, we examine the school choice process from the perspective of parents and test the effect of income on the choice criteria parents prioritize. Patterns emerge as parents share their insights, and the effect of income on choice criteria offers new understandings of the priorities of different parents when choosing schools. These findings offer important insights into the school choice process and the impact of income on parental decision-making.

Authors

• Anthony Snethen, The University of Kansas

• Benjamin Brown, University of Kansas

• Karin Chang, University of Kansas, Institute for Policy and Social Research