ERIC Number: ED509668
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Feb
Pages: 52
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Public School Choice and Integration: Evidence from Durham, North Carolina. Working Paper 14
Bifulco, Robert; Ladd, Helen F.; Ross, Stephen
National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research
Using evidence from Durham, North Carolina, we examine the impact of school choice programs on racial and class-based segregation across schools. Theoretical considerations suggest that how choice programs affect segregation will depend not only on the family preferences emphasized in the sociology literature but also on the linkages between student composition, school quality, and student achievement emphasized in the economics literature, and on the availability of schools of different types. Reasonable assumptions about how these factors differ for students of different races and socio-economic status suggest that the segregating choices of students from advantaged backgrounds are likely to outweigh any integrating choices by disadvantaged students. The results of our empirical analysis are consistent with these theoretical considerations. Using information on the actual schools students attend and on the schools in their assigned attendance zones, we find that schools in Durham are more segregated by race and class as a result of school choice programs than they would be if all students attended their geographically assigned schools. In addition, we find that the effects of choice on segregation by class are larger than the effects on segregation by race. (Contains 9 tables and 12 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Racial Segregation, School Choice, School Segregation, Performance Factors, Educational Policy, Policy Analysis, Educational Assessment, Educational Indicators, Student Placement, Student Records, Socioeconomic Influences, Public Schools, Data Analysis, School Statistics, Racial Composition
National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. The Urban Institute, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5739; Fax: 202-833-2477; e-mail: inquiry@caldercenter.org; Web site: http://www.caldercenter.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A060067