When Opting Out is Not a Choice: Implications for NCLB's Transfer Option from Charlotte, North Carolina

School choice & social stratification: How intra-district transfers shift the racial/ethnic and economic composition of schools

“…Barriers to school choice participation typically include the following, both of which disproportionately burden low-income and minority families: access to transportation to and from school (Hastings et al, 2005), and access to information (both formal and informal) about the school choice processes and options (Bell, 2009;Goldring and Phillips, 2008;Holme, 2002;Mickelson and Southworth, 2005;Neild, 2005). Therefore, even if these families are motivated to seek out better schooling options for their children, their ability to do so is often constrained by conditions that are not fully addressed by unrestricted school choice policies.…”

“…Such choices are often based on socially constructed conceptions of school quality that include the school's demographic composition and characteristics of the surrounding neighborhood, particularly for white, middle and upper class parents (Ancess and Allen, 2006;Holme, 2002). These socially defined choices also extend to higher-class minorities, who want to avoid sending their children to schools with high concentrations of poverty (Mickelson and Southworth, 2005). Researchers have also found that parents of all race/ethnic and economic backgrounds often exercise school choice as a way to send their children to schools where they can be educated alongside other students who share their demographic backgrounds (Bifulco, Ladd, & Ross, 2009a).…”

Statement of American Social Scientists of Research on School Desegregation to the U.S. Supreme Court in Parents v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County

“…186 After two years, 22.6% fewer elementary schools, 7.4% fewer middle schools, and 20.6% fewer high schools were racially integrated compared to the last year that the district was under the Court order in Swann. 187 The student assignment plan permitted increased socioeconomic and racial stratification of students, which amplified differences in math and reading test scores of 3rd through 8th graders from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. 188 The experience in Charlotte corroborates other research demonstrating that race-neutral neighborhood/choice plans lead to segregation, which can have tangible consequences, particularly regarding student achievement.…”

Students Who Choose and the Schools They Leave: Examining Participation in Intradistrict Transfers

“…For example, parents who do not speak English, parents who work during the school day, and parents who do not have Internet access in their homes are all less likely to know about their school choice options or about the process of participating in school choice. These barriers tend to affect low‐income and minority families disproportionately more than middle‐income, white families (Mickelson and Southworth 2005).…”