Panel:
Issues in School Choice Around the World
(Education)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Few issues in education have attracted as much attention, on such a global scale, as school choice. Advocates claim that school choice reforms, by increasing parents’ and educators’ influence, improve student performance while making education systems more equitable and innovative. Opponents contend that they destabilize public school systems, further disadvantage children with less engaged parents, and subject schools to potentially unhealthy market pressures. Researchers have identified both successful and unsuccessful school choice programs, giving reason to believe that the effects of a school choice reform depend on its design, execution, and context.
This session presents research on key issues in school choice from cities and countries across the world. It features five studies. These studies examine the effects of closing charter schools on sector performance (from cities across the U.S.), parents’ desires for their children’s schools (Trinidad and Tobago), the effects of providing information to parents (New Orleans), equity and access in a centralized admissions system (Chile), and how decisions about governance and school autonomy affect large-scale school choice reforms (Qatar and New Orleans).
Together, these studies examine several fundamental issues in school choice, drawing lessons from a diverse set of contexts with some of the world’s most notable school choice reforms. The papers use an assortment of methods as well, with quantitative and mixed methods approaches.
