School Choice and Racial Identity Development: An Examination of Enrollment in Racially Segregated Magnet Schools During the Post-Desegregation Era

• In Event: Parents and Families' Influences on Education

Abstract

Utilizing quantitative and qualitative data from one mid-sized, countywide, Southeastern school district, this study seeks to examine the influence of school academic performance and racial composition on the school choice process. We specifically analyze why black parents choose to send their children to high-preforming, majority-black magnet schools and what role the racial identity development of their children plays in their school choice decisions. We find that black parents choose magnet schools because they believe they are academically superior to traditional public schools. In addition, black parents choose magnet schools because they want their children to develop a strong racial identity among students who are also high-preforming and middle-class.

Authors

• Kristie J. Rowley, Brigham Young University

• Shelby M McNeill, Brigham Young University