Who Gets to Choose? The Effects of a School Choice Program on Student and Family Educational Experiences

Authors: Joey Fung, Simone Fried, Natalie Stoner, Julian Livingston

SUNY Campus: SUNY Buffalo

Presentation Type: Oral

Location: UUW 324

Presentation #: 5

Timeslot: Session B 10:15-11:15 AM

Abstract: Until the 1990s, most American families attended neighborhood schools assigned based on residential location, a practice that has been linked to disparities for marginalized students (Orfield et al., 2015, p. 12). School choice became an educational movement intended to expand and revolutionize the ways families decide on the best-fit school for their students. In a mid-sized northeastern city, a lottery-based public school assignment system has replaced traditional neighborhood zoning, introducing a new era of school choice. Despite its intent, approximately 70% of families do not receive their first-choice school, raising concerns about the policy’s effectiveness (personal communication, S. Radford, 2024). Community members and stakeholders report unintended consequences, including inconvenient commutes, strained family dynamics, and declining district enrollment. Our neighborhood pilot study, which began at the request of a local community equity coalition, investigates the impact of the district's lottery system and the ways it has shaped families’ trajectories navigating educational choices in Neighborhood A. The stories of 17 families who entered the public school lottery and later opted for private and charter schools reveal critical factors influencing school choice, including the intricate role of various family structures and available social capital, and shedding light on potential policy improvements. This current project is one phase of a larger mixed-methods study, including a district-wide quantitative analysis and interviewing families from various district neighborhoods.