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 |
| 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 |
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