School Choice as a Bounded Ideal

Abstract

School choice is most often viewed through the lens of provision: most of the debate on the issue searches for desirable ways to offer vouchers, scholarships or other tools that provides choice as a way to achieve equality and/or freedom. This paper focuses on the consumer side of school choice, and utilises behavioural economics as well as ethnographic and network studies to consider ways to structure choice which respond to actual cognitive and social processes of choice. These empirical studies give scholars and policy‐makers who grapple with school choice a perspective that should affect the principled design of these programs as well as their execution. The paper considers the ways in which actual choice processes should affect current visions of school choice. It concludes with recommendations concerning the design of choice sets and the accessibility of information regarding choice, which together can assist school choice policies in better fulfilling their promise of equality and freedom.

Incentivos a la demanda y racionalidades de elección escolar: reflexiones en entornos de pobreza

“…Desde una perspectiva diferente, una crítica reciente a posiciones liberales de elección escolar y a la racionalidad instrumental de los actores se identifica en aquellos autores que han utilizado el concepto de racionalidad limitada como alternativa a una comprensión estrecha y demasiado simplista de ella (Ben-Porath, 2009De Jarnatt, 2008;Jones, 1999). Ben-Porath (2009) critica la comprensión de la libertad y la autonomía que está implícita en las teorías liberales normativas y aboga por una política social que tenga en cuenta las formas reales en que las personas toman sus decisiones.…”

“…Es precisamente la existencia de restricciones a ese acto lo que produce una racionalidad limitada, que no necesariamente evidencia falta de habilidades o "desconexión". Al observar empíricamente cómo los padres responden racionalmente a los límites a los que se enfrentan, la política de elección puede volverse más democrática y socialmente justa (Ben-Porath, 2009.…”

Access to Better Education: The School Choice Experience of Families Served by Low-Performing Elementary Public Schools in Miami-Dade County

“…Advocates of choice policy believe it is an opportunity to equalize the education system by giving all students easier access to higher quality schools (Moe 2008;Ben-Porath 2009;Ravitch 2013). The market model of school choice assumes that parents are aware of their options and are equipped with the resources to make an informed decision and utilize the school option they want.…”

“…Nearly all states offer some variation of school choice options to parents (Hoxby 2003;Lander and Lips 2008). School choice attempts to use competition to improve academic achievement (Goyette 2008;Ben-Porath 2009;Ravitch 2013). …”

“…School choice policy has allowed the education system to create an education market that provides parents a variety of alternative schooling options from which to select (Moe 2008;Ben-Porath 2009;Loeb et al 2011;Ravitch 2013). The policy puts schools in the position to compete to attract students with their academic programs, learning environments, and unique structures.…”