School Choice Perspectives

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Public and private K-12 school choice programs and policies are at the forefront of educational reform efforts and research in the United States. We will begin the course by exploring the history of school choice in the United States, from the foundation of religious and non-religious private schools, to the advent of magnet schools as part of the Civil Rights Movement, to contemporary choice programs such as charter schools, private school vouchers, educational savings accounts, and inter-district public school choice. Next, we will examine the roots of school choice through various theoretical lenses, including political, sociological, cultural, economic, and legal perspectives. In the last part of the course we will evaluate and critique rigorous research studies that examine the impacts of school choice on student educational outcomes. We will give special attention to these educational impacts on students who are racial or ethnic minorities, students from low income families, and students with diverse learning abilities. Over the course, we will reflect on the effects of implementing school choice programs and policies on traditional public schools and their students, especially in the contexts with a wide array of choice such as South Bend locally and Indiana more broadly.