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Year:: 2024
Contributor:: Pierce, Siri A. (creator); Levitas, Anthony (thesis advisor); Flores, Andrea (reader); Brown University. Public Policy (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: Race relations; School choice; School integration; education policy; Maine--Portland
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26300/yk79-qe98

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Abstract:: School choice has a long and checkered history in American education policy. This thesis examines the effects of school choice and self-sorting in a progressive district trying to produce quality and equitable education in the face of rapid demographic change. Racial and socioeconomic enrollment imbalances between the high schools have exposed how the social and cultural backgrounds of families shape their educational values, tastes, and perceptions. White, middle-class families weigh their progressive values against their structural privileges, often prioritizing perceived educational advantages for their children at the expense of the formation of diverse schools. Marginalized families both seek out opportunities for educational advancement and mobility and racial/ethnic/linguistic belonging. Competitive pressures further exacerbate identity-based self-sorting by motivating schools to signal educational values to certain demographic groups. Even in ideal conditions, I argue, school choice cannot produce diverse and balanced schools, but I offer insights and recommendations for how districts can craft controlled choice policies that steer individuals’ choices toward community values and meaningful social integration.
Notes:: Senior thesis (AB)--Brown University, 2024; Concentration: International and Public Affairs

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Use and Reproduction: All rights reserved
Rights: In Copyright
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Pierce, Siri A., "School Choice, Self-Sorting, and the Pursuit of Equitable Education in Portland, Maine" (2024). The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/yk79-qe98

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The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations for the The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs department.
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School Choice, Self-Sorting, and the Pursuit of Equitable Education in Portland, Maine