School Choice and Segregation by Race, Class, and Achievement
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School Choice and Segregationby Race, Class, and Achievement
Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Ph.D.Martha Bottia, M.A.Stephanie Southworth, M.A.
This chapter summarizes the empirical literature on the growth in school choiceoptions, the increasing diversity of the school-aged population, and thesegregation of America’s schools by race, socioeconomic status, and studentability. Research findings suggest choice schools and programs are as segregated,and in some instances, more segregated by race and socioeconomic status (SES)than the other schools in their local community. Moreover, many forms of choicealso segregate students by ability and achievement levels. The ways that schoolchoice options are designed and implemented result in very little desegregation.The exceptions to this generalization are intradistrict full magnet programs thatoperate under conditions of controlled choice, interdistrict desegregation plans,and some secular private schools.The reasons that most choice options are segregated by race, SES, and in somecases by ability, are complex. Four principal reasons emerged from the researchfindings, however: (1) many choice programs are designed to provide educationto selective student populations, such as the gifted or special-needs students; (2)choice programs formally and informally allow schools to select students, therebyincluding some youth while excluding others; (3) there is a scarcity of interdistrictchoice options that could capture the diversity in larger metropolitancommunities; and (4) parents exhibit preferences for schools with student bodiessimilar to their own demographic backgrounds.The preponderance of social science research indicates that students whoparticipate in almost all forms of choice attend schools that are segregated but thisneed not be the case. If policy makers are interested in promoting choice schoolsthat are diverse, they can design programs that support and encourage integratedschools.Policymakers can restructure existing choice plans and design new ones thatcreate genuine and realistic opportunities for diverse education. To that end, it isrecommended that policymakers:
Redesign current choice policies to ensure diversity.