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Constrained Agency and the Structures of Educational Choice: Evidence from New York City

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Title: Constrained Agency and the Structures of Educational Choice: Evidence from New York City
Language: English
Authors: Rebecca Shmoys, Sierra McCormick, Douglas Ready (ORCID 0000-0001-9333-1842)
Source: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 2026 48(1):317-335.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Kindergarten
Primary Education
Descriptors: School Choice, Urban Schools, Access to Education, Disadvantaged Youth, Neighborhoods, Public Schools, Family Characteristics, Educational Quality, Institutional Characteristics, Kindergarten, Student Characteristics
Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
DOI: 10.3102/01623737251315754
ISSN: 0162-3737
1935-1062
Abstract: Many school districts consider family preferences in allocating students to schools. In theory, this approach provides disadvantaged families greater access to high-quality schools by weakening the link between residential location and school assignment. We leverage data on the school choices made by over 233,000 New York City families across a 4-year period to examine the extent to which the city's school choice system fulfills this promise. Although families can apply to any school, oversubscribed and high-quality schools enroll smaller proportions of students from traditionally disadvantaged families. We explored three mechanisms to explain this inequitable distribution: application timing, the school matching structure, and neighborhood stratification. We find that all three mechanisms have a disequalizing influence and propose several potential policy solutions.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1496356
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Constrained Agency and the Structures of Educational Choice: Evidence from New York City
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rebecca+Shmoys%22">Rebecca Shmoys</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sierra+McCormick%22">Sierra McCormick</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Douglas+Ready%22">Douglas Ready</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9333-1842">0000-0001-9333-1842</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Educational+Evaluation+and+Policy+Analysis%22"><i>Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis</i></searchLink>. 2026 48(1):317-335.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 19
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Kindergarten%22">Kindergarten</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Primary+Education%22">Primary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Choice%22">School Choice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urban+Schools%22">Urban Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Access+to+Education%22">Access to Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Disadvantaged+Youth%22">Disadvantaged Youth</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neighborhoods%22">Neighborhoods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Schools%22">Public Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Characteristics%22">Family Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Quality%22">Educational Quality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+Characteristics%22">Institutional Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kindergarten%22">Kindergarten</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Characteristics%22">Student Characteristics</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+York+%28New+York%29%22">New York (New York)</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.3102/01623737251315754
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  Data: 0162-3737<br />1935-1062
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Many school districts consider family preferences in allocating students to schools. In theory, this approach provides disadvantaged families greater access to high-quality schools by weakening the link between residential location and school assignment. We leverage data on the school choices made by over 233,000 New York City families across a 4-year period to examine the extent to which the city's school choice system fulfills this promise. Although families can apply to any school, oversubscribed and high-quality schools enroll smaller proportions of students from traditionally disadvantaged families. We explored three mechanisms to explain this inequitable distribution: application timing, the school matching structure, and neighborhood stratification. We find that all three mechanisms have a disequalizing influence and propose several potential policy solutions.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1496356
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1496356
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        Value: 10.3102/01623737251315754
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 19
        StartPage: 317
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: School Choice
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urban Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Access to Education
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      – SubjectFull: Neighborhoods
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      – SubjectFull: Public Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Family Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Quality
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      – SubjectFull: Institutional Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: Kindergarten
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      – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: New York (New York)
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      – TitleFull: Constrained Agency and the Structures of Educational Choice: Evidence from New York City
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