A Case Study of Rural School Choice: A View From the Byway

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Local Contexts, Conditions, and Concerns in School Choice

Abstract

Current school reform debates assume that expanding school choice options (e.g., charters, magnets, vouchers, private schools, early college high schools) will lead to more responsive and innovative schools. Little research, however, examines how the growing school choice landscape influences teachers’ professional lives or explores the ways in which these processes impact rural areas. This case study of school choice in one rural county used two primary data sources: a two-part Qualtrics survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews with 25 teachers with experience in multiple school types. Findings are critical to understanding how the shift towards school choice and marketization affects teachers in rural areas—particularly as we embark on a conversation about school choice as a national education policy.

Authors

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

• Susie Cox, University of Arkansas

• Brent D. Beal, The University of Texas - Tyler