How Do Parents Evaluate and Select Schools? Evidence From a Survey Experiment

Bibliographic Data

ID8224071
AuthorsShira Alicia Korn Haderlein (0000-0002-3509-652X, University of Southern California, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume59
Issue2
Pages381-414
Publication date2022-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-8312 • E-ISSN: 1935-1011
PublisherAmerican Educational Research Association (AERA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3102/00028312211046360
OpenAlexW3200874640
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited66

As parents are increasingly given flexibility to enroll their children in a school of their choice, understanding parents’ preferences for school qualities is essential. Using a randomized survey experiment, this study adds to the existing literature by assessing parents’ preferences in a controlled environment, where they can be isolated from information asymmetries and constraints. Results suggest that achievement matters to parents but status matters more when evaluating quality and growth matters more when choosing between schools. Additionally, student demographics affect both parents’ perception of school quality and their likelihood of selecting into a school. This article has important implications for the theory and practice of accountability as it offers new insights on parents’ latent preferences for school qualities

Accountability · Affect (linguistics · Demographics · Developmental psychology · Flexibility (engineering · Mathematics education · Perception · Political science · Quality (philosophy · School choice · Sociology · Survey data collection · Demography · Early Childhood Education and Development · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Psychology · School Choice and Performance · Social Psychology

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