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Can User Reviews Like Those on GreatSchools Improve Information for Schooling Choices? Policy Brief

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Title: Can User Reviews Like Those on GreatSchools Improve Information for Schooling Choices? Policy Brief
Language: English
Authors: Douglas N. Harris, Jamie M. Carroll, Debbie Kim, Nicholas Mattei, Olivia G. Carr, National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH)
Source: National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice. 2024.
Availability: National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice. 1555 Poydras Street Suite 700, New Orleans, LA 70112. Tel: 870-540-6576; e-mail: info@reachcentered.org; Web site: https://reachcentered.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2024
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305C180025
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: School Choice, Web Sites, Information Seeking, Access to Information, Information Dissemination, Institutional Research
Abstract: Families are being given more and more choices of schools, from charter schools to virtual schools and private schools, through school vouchers. However, families often report not being well informed about these choices. Many report being awash in information, though not necessarily the information they want or need. State, district, and school websites, along with Facebook pages and word-of-mouth, provide additional information but not necessarily a coherent picture of the various schooling options available to families. Massive school information and review platforms add another source of information. These platforms provide access to much of the same data found on other public websites--test scores, student demographics, graduation rates, and more--combined with text reviews and star ratings provided by students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders. The authors studied the content and usefulness of user reviews from one of the most widely used platforms, GreatSchools, including 50 million words of text across more than 600,000 reviews written about 84,000 schools from 2009 to 2019. The findings suggest that user reviews have the potential to inform consumers about school choices. However, they face many hurdles, some of which have not been well recognized. The authors propose ways to improve school user reviews and discuss implications for school choice.
Abstractor: ERIC
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: ED661882
Database: ERIC
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  Data: National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice. 1555 Poydras Street Suite 700, New Orleans, LA 70112. Tel: 870-540-6576; e-mail: info@reachcentered.org; Web site: https://reachcentered.org/
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  Data: Families are being given more and more choices of schools, from charter schools to virtual schools and private schools, through school vouchers. However, families often report not being well informed about these choices. Many report being awash in information, though not necessarily the information they want or need. State, district, and school websites, along with Facebook pages and word-of-mouth, provide additional information but not necessarily a coherent picture of the various schooling options available to families. Massive school information and review platforms add another source of information. These platforms provide access to much of the same data found on other public websites--test scores, student demographics, graduation rates, and more--combined with text reviews and star ratings provided by students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders. The authors studied the content and usefulness of user reviews from one of the most widely used platforms, GreatSchools, including 50 million words of text across more than 600,000 reviews written about 84,000 schools from 2009 to 2019. The findings suggest that user reviews have the potential to inform consumers about school choices. However, they face many hurdles, some of which have not been well recognized. The authors propose ways to improve school user reviews and discuss implications for school choice.
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      – SubjectFull: School Choice
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      – SubjectFull: Web Sites
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