Exploring the Decisions and Satisfaction of Rural Parents' School Choice in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Choosing Schools in Market-Based Systems

Abstract

COVID-19 caused dramatic shifts in the U.S. school choice landscape, forcing parents to not only choose from among the usual criteria--school locations, reputations, sizes, and types--but also learning modalities and COVID-19 school safety protocols. This mixed methods study explores how parents made school choices (via construction of choice sets) in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic and how satisfied they are with their choices. The study, which is being conducted in rural East Texas, includes a quantitative survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews. Because COVID-19 is causing parents to reconsider and reevaluate their school choices, this study examines changes in parents’ school choice sets, decisions, and satisfaction, and highlights the ramifications of their choices for educational (in)equity.

Authors

• Heather K. Olson Beal, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Chrissy J Cross, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Lauren E. Brewer, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Amber Wagnon, Stephen F. Austin State University