THE CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL CHOICE - WHO LEAVES AND WHO STAYS IN THE INNER-CITY

Objective. A naturally occurring experiment in both public and private school choice is examined to identify who the choosing families are a nd how they differ both from one another and from families whose child ren remain in attendance zone public schools. The studied population i s largely Latino and almost entirely low-income. Methods. Multivariate techniques are employed to model the characteristics of the choosing families. Results. The models reveal that public and private choosers have much in common, including mother's education and high parental in volvement. Choosing parents have significantly higher educational expe ctations for their children than nonchoosing parents. Conclusions. The findings indicate that, before a child reaches school age, parents sh ould receive information about the benefits of education and choice op tions. Choice programs will increase or decrease equality of opportuni ty depending on program design.