Examining a Local and Holistic Approach to K-12 Decision Support

• In Event: The Complexity of School Choice for Historically Marginalized Families

Abstract

Studies show that families selecting schools are receptive to concise knowledge resources, as many families use school performance information to choose highly ranked schools (Cohodes et al., 2022; Hastings & Weinstein, 2008; Valant & Weixler, 2020). These data points and rankings, which districts tend to disseminate through websites, handouts, and public events, are often low cost and efficient and may be useful to families selecting schools. At the same time, school statistics and facts tend to essentialize school performance and neglect the feelings and positive resources of school-choosing families themselves. Evidence points to the effectiveness of more local and holistic approaches to school decision support particularly for minoritized families (Heyward et al., 2020; Sattin-Bajaj et al., 2018; Valant, 2022). This approach resembles counselors supporting students with college searches or financial aid and represents a surrogate form of network support – one that affluent families have taken advantage of through professional school choice consultants (Kafka, 2022). However, researchers have limited knowledge about the efficacy and approach of various agents engaging in school decision support.

This study seeks to clarify the kinds of information and assistance parents seek and non-governmental organization (NGO) advisors, or “navigators,” provide in relationships designed to offer personalized school decision assistance to minoritized families primarily in New Orleans, LA. Using a critical case study of this organization’s parental assistance strategies, this study illuminates the perceptions and agency of these advisors. Data includes 14 in-depth interviews with navigators and parents, document analysis, and informal conversations with others who are familiar with the NGO. Findings reveal how navigators leverage local experience as educators and social ties with families to try to mediate what parents want within the context of what the system can provide. According to one navigator, many parents are “hell bent on getting their child into an A-ranked school,” though the school system confronts them with limited availability. In some cases, navigators appear to supplement families with information and institutionally required resources and circumvent some barriers, such as time constraints, that prevent underserved families from navigating school decision processes. Yet, further investigation is needed to better understand how helpful parents find navigators to be in selecting a school that they deem is a good fit for their child.

This study advances our understanding of the actual mechanisms for decision support by revealing the way cultural brokers seek to use practitioner experience and legitimacy in the community to aid families with school selection. Studies demonstrate that families’ chances of obtaining a higher quality education through school selection remain tied to their ability to navigate school choice contexts (Andre-Bechely, 2013; Faude, 2024; Loeb & Valant, 2019). As evidence abundantly shows, enrolling children in a desirable school tends to require work, insider knowledge, considerable time, and additional resources (Brown, 2022; Lincove & Valant, 2024; Pattillo, 2015; Potterton, 2020). Though not a “cure all” for school choice inequities, person-to-person support may help parents become savvier information consumers, which may lead to better school decisions in terms of quality or fit.

Author

• Jason Saltmarsh, Old Dominion University