Gentrification and School Diversity: Reconstituting Segregation in the Era of “Choice”

• In Event: At The Intersection of Schools, Housing Policy, Neighborhood Change, and Social Capital

Abstract

This study examines how gentrification reshapes racial diversity in urban public schools, focusing on the institutional mechanisms that sustain segregation despite neighborhood demographic shifts. Using a QuantCrit and stratification economics framework, it investigates how school choice and rezoning policies mediate racial enrollment patterns in New York City. A convergent mixed-methods design—pairing multilevel modeling with critical discourse analysis—reveals that race-neutral policies often reproduce advantage by enabling white flight within the public system. Findings challenge assumptions that neighborhood diversity translates to school integration and highlight how institutional policy choices uphold racial stratification. The study offers equity-centered recommendations for policymakers seeking to design school assignment systems that resist exclusion and promote racial justice in the era of urban change.

Author

• Elizabeth I. Rivera, Montclair State University