Transcript School segregation and school choice – selected considerations. Beatrice S. Rangvid AKF, Danish Institute of Governmental Research. 2nd Meeting of the Group of National.

School segregation and school
choice – selected considerations.
Beatrice S. Rangvid
AKF, Danish Institute of Governmental Research.
2nd Meeting of the Group of National Experts on the Education of
Migrants, Session 7.
OECD, Paris. 13 October 2008
www.akf.dk
Very brief overview
Academic achievement
Student and family background
School quality
School segregation
School choice policies
www.akf.dk
Immigrant integration
into the main culture.
Social cohesion between
natives and immigrants
(Burgess & Wilson, 2005).
Point 1: Limiting school choice is no easy
cure against segregation

Third dimension: residential choice

Limiting school choice makes people move.

Limiting/abolishing school choice with many immigrant concentration
schools ~ court-ordered segregation in US.
->Whites/natives suddenly faced with high %immigrants in their
schools.

Baum-Snow&Lutz (2008) find that (affluent) Whites moved to white
suburbs.
www.akf.dk
Point 1: Limiting school choice is no easy
cure against segregation
What happens when you limit school choice?

Residential segregation: increases

School segregation:
– decreases because of limited school choice
– increases because people sort by residential relocation
– Net effect ???
-> Important to consider the consequences of residential sorting, too.
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Point 2: (White/native) flight hurts twice

Natives start (add.) opting out when immigrant shares
exceed 35-40%.

Well-educated families flee at higher rates than loweducated: -> weakens also SES-composition in the
remaining group of natives group in schools.

Also well-integrated immigrant students opt out.
=> It is not just ”average” students who flee, but the strong
students (also among immigrants) are the first to flee.
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[Results from Rangvid (2007).]
Point 3: Who do you move with your
dispersion program?
Many dispersion models - basic difference:
(1) Voluntary dispersion:
- eg. reserve slots for immigrants out-of-district students at low
concentration schools, which immigrants can apply for.
(2) Non-voluntary dispersion:
-eg. language screening: if ”fail” the test, enrol in school with few
immigrants.
www.akf.dk
Point 3: Who do you move with your
dispersion program?
Voluntary dispersion model
”Strong”
students/
families
decide to
move
Non-voluntary dispersion model
High ability
Low ability
Voluntary models:
”Weak”
students
are
moved
Risk of cream-skimming
Non-voluntary models: Opportunity to target the subpopulation you want to move
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