School Choice Complexities: Understanding Dissatisfied Stayers and Satisfied Leavers

• In Event: Sociology of Education Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11. School Choice Processes

Abstract

School choice policy is premised on the idea that families exit schools when dissatisfied and remain when satisfied. In this article, I illustrate that this assumed link between choice and satisfaction misses the complexities of contemporary school decision-making. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 70 families in a Latino-majority suburban school district, 40 stayers, and 30 leavers, I find that leaving and staying are poor proxies for dissatisfaction and satisfaction. While choice and satisfaction were linked for some families, dissatisfied stayers chose to remain in the district in the face of dissatisfaction, prioritizing stability and community, while satisfied leavers left suburban middle schools they were satisfied with in response to residential and schooling opportunities and other constraints.

Author

• Julia Colleen Campbell Szabo, Pennsylvania State University