ERIC Number: EJ1169733
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jan
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1947-5578
EISSN: N/A
Inter-District School Choice: Transfer Policy and Practice in a Fragmented Metropolitan Region
Ganski, Helen
Berkeley Review of Education, v5 n2 p137-170 Jan 2015
Detrimental side effects of the politics of localism include socioeconomic and racial inequalities across fragmented contiguous school districts. Inequality follows patterns of neighborhood segregation and suburban expansion. Some regions approach these issues through collaborative models of cross-district school choice that focus shared resources toward reducing disparities. In Calderon County, California, however, districts have elected to use a noncollaborative, voluntary, and colorblind inter-district transfer plan, in which district administrators evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis. Interviews with these administrators and local citizens reveal a process plagued by a history of racial and socioeconomic division that may be exacerbating stratification. This study demonstrates that administrators, who often interact directly with families, wield extraordinary policy and decision-making power, significantly controlling inter-district mobility in the region. While exploratory in nature, this research reveals meaningful findings on fragmentation, community perceptions, and administrative decision-making within the context of school choice in one Northern California region.
Descriptors: School Choice, Transfer Policy, Metropolitan Areas, School Districts, Interviews, Student Diversity, Regional Characteristics, Regional Schools, Transfer Students, Qualitative Research, Administrator Surveys, Race, Social History, Social Class, Community Attitudes, Board of Education Role, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education
Berkeley Graduate School of Education, University of California, 5648 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94702. Tel: 510-328-3701; e-mail: bre_editor@berkeley.edu; Web site: http://www.berkeleyreviewofeducation.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A