ERIC Number: ED647999
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Apr-11
Pages: 45
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Segregated Choices: Magnet and Charter Schools
Ryan Pfleger; Gary Orfield
Civil Rights Project - Proyecto Derechos Civiles
This report analyzes changing racial composition in a comparable subset of schools to enable policy-relevant comparisons between charter and magnet schools. It reports the levels of segregation and diversity in these two systems, which is important because of strong evidence that diverse schools produce educational gains and substantial lifelong benefits in terms of college, employment, and other key life goals. Primary data was acquired from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Common Core of Data (CCD), and Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey Data. In the school districts where both forms of choice were tried, magnets have done better than charters at modestly integrating students. An obvious explanation for this is that a basic mission of magnets, especially initially, was to address racial isolation. Policymakers interested in gaining the benefits of integration through choice might look closely at magnet schools. The higher segregation in charter schools observed in this analysis, coupled with other studies with similar findings, suggests that reforming charter schools, if not advancing alternatives like magnet schools or something even more powerful, is needed to address segregation and its well-documented harms.
Descriptors: School Segregation, Magnet Schools, Charter Schools, Student Diversity, Racial Composition, School Choice
Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles. 8370 Math Sciences, P.O. Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521. Tel: 310-267-5562; Fax: 310-206-6293; e-mail: crp@ucla.edu; Web site: http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Authoring Institution: University of California, Los Angeles. Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A