Going the Extra Mile: How Far and for What Purposes Are Chilean Parents Willing to Travel for the Schools They Want?

• In Event: 60.083 - Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 60.083-11 - The Effects of Individuals on Charter Schools

Abstract

This study analyses the value Chilean parents assign to spatial propinquity relative to other attributes of the schools. Based on novel data of parent-school dyads, a series of logistic regressions estimate the chances that a particular parent declares preferring a particular school over other locally available schools. We find that all types of parents assign a significant value to academic achievement as one of the key school’s attribute driving school choice. Nonetheless, parents tend to give a stronger importance to spatial propinquity, more so among lower social classes. Moreover, we find that when budgetary restriction allows, parents are willing to travel in order to find a school with a higher social composition as compared to local schools.

Authors

• Carolina Flores, Agencia de Calidad de la Educación, Chile

• Alejandro Carrasco, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

• Manuel Alcaino, The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile