Arizona School Choice and the Appeal of Open Enrollment for Parents of Color

• In Event: Disrupting Race: Disrupting Race to Establish New Norms

Abstract

While Arizona’s K-12 education system touts expansive choice options like open enrollment policy, numerous charter school options, and state sponsored private school funding, it continues to rank low nationally in public education. Though many parents have negative opinions on public education, they still opt for choice options for their own children. Informed by hermeneutical phenomenology, partial sympathy, and critical race theory, this study uses a hermeneutical phenomenological research design and centers the lived experiences of parents, representing a variety of identities. Findings suggest that parents of color seek schools that are diverse and community centered, and they attempt to balance a commitment to public education and their commitment to their own children’s educational opportunities by opting into open enrollment.

Author

• Stephanie Celaya Serventi, The University of Arizona