Market Signals: How Do DC Parents Rank Schools, and What Does It Mean for Policy?
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Market Signals: How Do DC Parents Rank Schools, and What Does It Mean for Policy?

Policy Brief
Published: Jun 15, 2016
Publisher: Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research
Human Services Education School Choice and Charters
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Associated Project

Market Signals: A Deep-Dive Analysis of Parental School Choice in Washington, DC

Time frame: 2013-2015

Prepared for:

The Walton Family Foundation

Authors

Steven Glazerman

Dallas Dotter

This brief describes (1) what parents look for when they choose a school and (2) how these preferences affect the sorting of students into schools under different school-choice policies. The findings are based on lists of preferred schools submitted by over 20,000 applicants to a citywide lottery for more than 100 traditional and charter public schools in Washington, DC. The results confirm previous findings that commuting distance, school demographics, and academics play important roles in school choice. However, we also found considerable variation in parents’ preferences.

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