School Choice and the Maintenance of Urban Spatio-Cultural Boundaries

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: School Choice or Segregated Space? Stratification, Exclusion, and Race (Table 13)

Abstract

School choice has frequently been discussed as a tool for eliminating the spatial and cultural boundaries built into the geography of urban centers through housing and education segregation. These initiatives take place in complex environments, and historical context makes it important to acknowledge how they impact the communities they serve. This study pairs census data with administrative data from a large urban school district in the southeastern United States to examine how the implementation of an expansive school choice program impacted geographic and demographic patterns in where students enroll. Findings indicate that affluent and marginalized areas of the city maintain segregation even when students opt into choice schools, challenging assumptions about how school choice could impact broader community processes.

Authors

• Eli Rolfes, Vanderbilt University

• Maury Nation, Vanderbilt University