Who Has Choice? School Choice and Socioeconomic Differences Among Low-Income and Racially Minoritized Families

• In Event: Intersections of Race and Class in Urban School Choice

Abstract

A large body of research has examined whether and how school choice maintains or exacerbates racial segregation or class stratification. Few studies, by contrast, have considered whether school choice leads to new forms of stratification and inequality among low-income and racially minoritized students, even though these students are disproportionately targeted by school choice policies (Scott & Holme, 2016). Among low-SES and racially minoritized families, SES differences may enable relatively advantaged families to sort into more desirable schools (Carrasco et al., 2021; Hamlin, 2018; Pattillo, 2015). In addition, schools may try to recruit relatively socioeconomically advantaged students to strengthen their reputations and academic performance in comparison to demographically similar schools against whom they are judged (Wells et al., 2019). Patterns of stratified enrollment among low-income and racially minoritized students would lead most disadvantaged students to be systematically excluded from educational opportunities.

In this paper, I examine the stratifying dynamics of school choice among low-income and racially minoritized students. The context for my study is Detroit, where 90% of students are classified as “economically disadvantaged,” and where over 80% of students are Black and another 10% are Hispanic. Detroit is also choice-intensive: only around a quarter of students attended their residentially-assigned neighborhood school. My research question is: How do SES differences shape differences in low-income Detroit families’ school choice engagement and access?

I draw on interviews with 54 parents and 30 school and district leaders in Detroit. I sampled parents from a pool of respondents to a representative citywide survey, intentionally recruiting parents at different income-to-poverty levels: deep poverty (below 50%), poverty (50-100%); above poverty (100-185%); and not “economically disadvantaged” (above 185%). I then recruited principals and district leaders from those families’ schools. I asked questions to understand the school choice landscape in Detroit and identify the ways that SES differences among Detroit families shape the choices parents make or the competitive behavior schools and districts adopt.

I provide evidence that, in school choice systems, SES differences among low-income and racially minoritized families can lead to meaningfully different educational opportunities. First, the landscape is geographically constrained; more disadvantaged families are more likely to be constrained to the closest school to them, and only the most advantaged families can choose schools regardless of location. Second, social networks are the primary sources of information and influence in school-choosing. SES differences in the composition of social networks and the kinds of information within them are potential drivers of SES stratification; and the ability of families to act on the information they receive from their social networks depends on their access to social and economic resources to overcome potential geographic constraints. Third, school type reputations push relatively-advantaged parents to prioritize charter and magnet schools over neighborhood schools. Finally, some exclusionary practices embedded in enrollment and retention efforts—which are common across different types of schools in Detroit—are more likely to negatively impact lower-SES students. I discuss how these findings enhance our understanding of the dynamics of school choice in urban districts and the implications for school choice policy.

Author

• Jeremy L. Singer, Wayne State University