Open Enrollment Policies, School Segregation, and Redefining the Role of the State in Public Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Enacting and Improving School Choice Systems

Abstract

A core argument in school choice expansion is that it changes dynamics behind social processes of marginalization in urban communities, and, in particular, the educational decision making process. Equity-focused arguments suggest that socio-spatial divisions tied to the geography of the city can be overcome by removing administrative barriers to accessing other schools. This perspective presumes that choice policies enable new processes capable of challenging historical lines of social, spatial, and racial segregation. Hidden within these changes is a redefinition of the state’s role in public education. Drawing from a longitudinal administrative dataset for a large urban district, this study examines disparities in the ability to enact school choice, identifying communities who are increasingly underserved by their public schools.

Authors

• Eli Rolfes, Vanderbilt University

• Maury Nation, Vanderbilt University