“Why Do I Have to Send My Child There?” How Low-Income and Working-Class Black Mothers Perceive School Choice in Washington, D.C.

Authors

Brian Robinson

Abstract

Despite being cemented into the American education system, school choice policies remain controversial among scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and education reform advocates. This study seeks to understand how low-income and working-class parents, for whom school choice advocates claim these policies are intended to benefit, perceive school choice and what motivates these perceptions. In particular, this study focuses on low-income and working-class Black mothers who are often disadvantaged in the education marketplace. Taking advantage of a relatively robust school choice system in Washington, D.C., the author interviewed 10 low-income and working-class Black mothers. The mothers in this sample see school choice policies as an opportunity to exert agency over their children’s education opportunities; however, in reality their choices are limited by their positionality which constrains their real choices. These parents want options beyond their in-boundary traditional public school but policy makers must pursue equitable policies to make the school choice process easier and fairer.

Recommended Citation

Brian Robinson (2022) "“Why Do I Have to Send My Child There?” How Low-Income and Working-Class Black Mothers Perceive School Choice in Washington, D.C.," Journal of Public Management & Social Policy: Vol. 29: No. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/jpmsp/vol29/iss1/9