Educational Choice: The Stratifying Effects of Selecting Schools and Courses

Abstract

The current political climate of educational reform very actively focuses on the positive aspects of increasing parental choice of children's schools, but there is little discussion of (and scant empirical research on) the potentially negative effects of increasing choice. This article examines the rich empirical base on another aspect of choice in education-curriculum choice-to draw parallels between the potentially harmful effects of both types of choice. Specifically, it has been shown that a wide latitude of student choice of courses in high school magnifies the social stratification of educational outcomes. This socially undesirable consequence results from two well-documented relationships: (a) Following a more demanding set of academic courses in high school is strongly and positively associated with higher academic achievement, and (b) less advantaged students are considerably less likely to select such a demanding course of study than are their more academically and socially advantaged counterparts. Additionally, academically and socially disadvantaged students and their families are less likely to seek out, or have access to, information about the consequences of their choices (of either schools or courses). If our society is unwilling to accept any educational reform that increases the inequitable distribution of educational outcomes among diverse social and racial groups, as is argued in this article, then we must take a hard look at the possible effects of school choice in this regard.