Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools

by Kimberly A. Goyette (Editor)

A series of policy shifts over the past decade promises to change how Americans decide where to send their children to school. In theory, the boom in standardized test scores and charter schools will allow parents to evaluate their assigned neighborhood school, or move in search of a better option. But what kind of data do parents actually use while choosing schools? Are there differences among suburban and urban families? How do parents’ choices influence school and residential segregation in America? Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools presents a breakthrough analysis of the new era of school choice, and what it portends for American neighborhoods. The distinguished contributors to Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools investigate the complex relationship between education, neighborhood social networks, and larger patterns of inequality. Paul Jargowsky reviews recent trends in segregation by race and class. His analysis shows that segregation between blacks and whites has declined since 1970, but remains extremely high. Moreover, white families with children are less likely than childless whites to live in neighborhoods with more minority residents. In her chapter, Annette Lareau draws on interviews with parents in three suburban neighborhoods to analyze school-choice decisions. Surprisingly, she finds that middle- and upper-class parents do not rely on active research, such as school tours or test scores. Instead, most simply trust advice from friends and other people in their network. Their decision-making process was largely informal and passive. Eliot Weinginer complements this research when he draws from his data on urban parents. He finds that these families worry endlessly about the selection of a school, and that parents of all backgrounds actively consider alternatives, including charter schools. Middle- and upper-class parents relied more on federally mandated report cards, district websites, and online forums, while working-class parents use network contacts to gain information on school quality. Little previous research has explored what role school concerns play in the preferences of white and minority parents for particular neighborhoods. Featuring innovative work from more than a dozen scholars, Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools adroitly addresses this gap and provides a firmer understanding of how Americans choose where to live and send their children to school.

Genres: Education

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

Reviews

[Aleksandra Gawlik]

The 2014 book "Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools," edited by Annette Lareau and Kimberly Goyette, is a collection of empirical studies and insights from experts in the field. The authors thoroughly explore the relationship between selection of residential property and location, school selection, and achievement and other outcomes for students. The authors demonstrate that school segregation has not decreased since the 1980’s and 70% of students still attend their neighborhood schools. This lifts the importance of home location and its impact on school attendance.
I appreciate that the authors provided an in-depth analysis of school and home selection through the lens of race, class, and the intersection of both. The authors highlight the inherent inequality in the current system. Families with the most resources- time, money, energy, and navigational capacity (usually white families due to America's systemic racism) are most able to leverage their resources to support their individual child’s learning and achievement. The authors highlight that these parents are able to be selective in their choice of school and are able to move in order to provide the highest quality education for their children. If these parents are not satisfied with their local public school option or as the authors pointed out, don’t like population changes in their schools, they are more likely to send their children to private schools, charter schools, or magnet schools. In essence, these families have the means to buy the education of their choice and return it and purchase another whenever they deem necessary.
Per the authors, middle class families evaluate schools based on standardized testing scores, high number of electives and extracurricular activities, and the reputation of the school. These families are more likely to research schools extensively, visit them, and factor schooling significantly in their decisions to purchase homes. These families spend time choosing the “right school” for their child.
Low income families do not have the same resources to research and decide on schools. The authors highlight that many of these families often do not factor the schools in their decision making. There are other priorities like transportation, child care, job opportunities that outrank school choice. Due to continuous systems of racism and economic disparity these families are typically Black families and they typically have to move because of needs outside of their control. Working class families care about education equally and want their children to do well; they just do not have the disposable time or income to do so. Even wealthier Black families do not get the same privilege, benefits, and resources that white families have. Furthermore, due to the white supremacy inherent in the system, when Black families do own their homes, they are undervalued continuing the cycle.
As an educator, this book helped outline with lots and lots of data the inequities in our schools and how funding aligns to that. Because certain families have the opportunities to intentionally use their privilege to hoard resources for their own children, others are left to go without. Authors propose potential solutions, but as it is clear with time passing and our schools being even more segregated, policy in itself isn’t enough. It also emphasizes for me personally, the roles schools need to play in supporting not only our learners but the community as a whole. It encourages further advocacy for community school models (National Education Association) which could help alleviate some of the disparities.

National Education Association. (n.d.). What are community schools? National Education
Association.
https://www.nea.org/student-success/g...

[Kevin Connor]

due back via interlibrary loan, got what i wanted from it without getting close to finishing