Examining the Re-Segregation of Public Schools in the United States: School Choice and Whites' Preferences

• In Event: 3169 - Race and Segregation

Abstract

Using catchment area and school enrollment data from 16,182 elementary schools and 4,002 high schools across the U.S. in the 2009-2010 school year, I examine the impact that schools of choice have had on racial segregation in traditional public schools. I find that public schools are more segregated than they would be if all students living in the catchment area attended their assigned school. I also find that, net of a host of school quality measures, the racial composition of the catchment area continues to have a significant effect on Whites’ likelihood of enrolling in their assigned school. I discuss these findings in light of the current enthusiasm around school choice expansion.

Author

• Rebecca Josephine Bielamowicz, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill