Choosing Wisely: Exploring How Parents Exercise Choice in an Open-Enrollment District

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: The Effects of Ideology and Market Pressure on School Racial Composition and Culture

Abstract

Open enrollment districts allow parents to send their children to schools that reflect their preferred qualities more than ever before. Yet, we know relatively little about how parents decide whether and how to use their range of choice options. To address this limitation, I conduct a case-study of 20 parents who elect into a voluntary open-district transfer program in a small, suburban, racially and socioeconomically diverse district in California. Preliminary results suggest that parents face tremendous barriers when deciding where to send their children to school, for example, in the substantial effort required to understand school performance data. This study thus adds to the important conversation about the implementation of school choice policy across states and districts.

Author

• Shira Haderlein, Mathematica