The Swedish school system underwent a rapid liberalization process in the late 1900s. One of the major changes was the implementation of free school choice. The reform intended to ake pupils and parents able to actively choose which school to attend. However, since the introduction, free school choice has been a topic of much debate and criticism. In articular, there is a dispute whether the reform has caused an increase in school segregation or not. This study examines the veracity of these claims. This is done in the form of a literary overview where the results of previous research are analyzed. A selection of literature has been conducted according to specific criteria, which has resulted in one doctoral dissertation and six academic journal articles. The source-material has been reviewed and analyzed using an analysis chart. The results of the studies have then been compared to find similarities and dividing lines. The segregation variables examined are ethnicity and socio-economics. The latter has been broken down into the sub-variables of economic background and educational background. In addition, the study also examines whether or not residential segregation can be excluded as a source of error. The analysis concludes that ethnic school segregation has increased in Sweden as a result of the school choice reform. The same applies to the variable educational background. However, there are some differences in the results regarding economic background. Dividing lines can be found concerning if segregation of this variable has increased or remained static. Relative consensus that housing segregation can be excluded as a source of error seems to prevail among researchers. However, one of the articles presents a more critical approach regarding the exclusion. There is also some disagreement about the degree to which the residential segregation and free school choice affect school segregation. / Den svenska skolan genomgick under det sena 1900-talet en skyndsam liberaliseringsprocess. En av de större förändringarna som skedde var införandet av det fria skolvalet. Reformen innebär att elever och vårdnadshavare kan göra aktiva val om på vilken skola undervisningen ska ske. Det fria skolvalet har dock sedan införandet varit mycket omdiskuterat och kritiserat. Särskilt råder en debatt om huruvida reformen har orsakat en ökad segregation i Sveriges skolor. I denna uppsats studeras påståendets sanningshalt. Detta sker i form av en litteraturöversikt där tidigare forskning på området behandlas. Ett urval av litteratur har skett efter särskilda kriterier, vilket har resulterat i en doktorsavhandling och sex akademiska tidskriftsartiklar. Dessa har sedan granskats och analyserats med hjälp av ett analysschema. Studiernas resultat har jämförts för att finna likheter och skiljelinjer. De segregationsvariabler som har studerats är etnicitet och socioekonomi. Den sistnämnda har brutits ner till ekonomisk bakgrund och utbildningsbakgrund. Utöver detta har det i studien även undersökts utifall boendesegregationen kan uteslutas som felkälla eller ej. Om inte detta görs kan denna förvränga datamaterialet för skolvalets effekter. Analysen visar att den etniska skolsegregationen har ökat i Sverige, till följd av skolvalsreformen. Detsamma gäller variabeln utbildningsbakgrund. I resultaten gällande ekonomisk bakgrund råder dock vissa olikheter. Skiljelinjer går att finna om segregationen efter denna variabel har ökat eller förhållit sig statisk. Relativ enhällighet tycks råda bland forskarna att boendesegregationen kan uteslutas som felkälla. I en av artiklarna presenteras dock ett mer kritiskt förhållningssätt till detta. Viss oenighet råder också kring vilken grad boendesituationen och skolvalet påverkar skolsegregationen.

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In the United States, students’ schooling experiences are shaped by racial and socioeconomic segregation, which is a powerful predictor of educational inequity. School choice has been touted as a remedy to school segregation and has been used widely in desegregation plans. To understand whether and how America’s expanding system of voluntary public school choice can support diversity, this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study explores how five public school choice programs—inter-district enrollment, intra-district enrollment, magnet schools, cyber charter schools, and brick and mortar charter schools—shape the composition of public schools in Pennsylvania. The quantitative phase uses seven years of student level data from Pennsylvania to examine how school choice participation influences neighborhood and choice school diversity and how school characteristics, including diversity, choice type, and specialty theme, are related to families’ school enrollment decisions. I find that school choice slightly exacerbates racial and socioeconomic segregation in urban communities, while suburban schools of choice are much more diverse than neighborhood schools. I also explore the transfer decisions of students in choice-rich environments: those with access to schools with a variety of demographic profiles, choice types, and specialty themes, and so whose choices are less constrained by supply. I find that that higher income families’ preferences for low poverty schools and divergent racial/ethnic preferences among Black and White families put segregating pressure on school systems. At the same time, the broad appeal of zoned schools and high schools with specialty themes represent promising strategies to promote school diversity in the context of school choice. The qualitative phase extends and explains quantitative findings with a comparative case study of two choice-rich city school districts. In Albertville City Schools, choice appeared to be exacerbating segregation while in Bedford Public Schools, neighborhood schools saw increasing diversity. In these two communities, school and district leaders felt competition from school choice and changed practices in response to that pressure. Bedford competed with a robust neighborhood school recruitment program which likely produced increases in diversity because of their diverse local population. While Bedford Public Schools had success attaining numeric diversity, they relied on diversity ideology—an organizational philosophy that celebrates diversity while maintaining internal systems of oppression. Diversity ideology prevented Bedford’s leaders from overturning existing hierarchies and so internal opportunity and achievement gaps persisted. In Albertville, no robust recruitment program emerged, in large part due to capacity and financial constraints. So while choice participation leveled off in Bedford, it continued to grow in Albertville, which may have exposed Albertville zoned schools to increasing segregating pressure from school choice. Though opportunities for numeric diversity were fewer in Albertville, leaders tended to reject diversity ideology and instead, recognize that school choice participation is driven by racialized and classed opportunity gaps. Albertville school and district leaders sought to compete by closing these gaps and increasing equity. Some schools located in Albertville competed by establishing homogeneous, affirming schools and others pursued holistic integration, though the scale of these efforts was limited. These cases illustrate that while local school choice practices can shape school diversity, leaders’ philosophies are critical determinants of whether or not numeric diversity provides a foundation for equitable, integrated schools. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

Thesis advisor: Peter Skerry / K-12 education policy has become increasingly centralized and technocratic, while falling short of achieving policy objectives. Young people are generally maladjusted to the personal and professional challenges of contemporary life. Parents experience diminishing political influence over the form and substance of their children’s education. I argue that improvement of the quality of private education requires greater emphasis on local political dynamics. School choice offers a free market alternative to a public school system which has largely ceded decision making to avowedly apolitical bureaucrats. Ironically, politics remains essential for the formation and regulation of the very policies that enable the marketplace to thrive as in the case of the tax credit scholarship. The politics behind the marketplace is brought to light by examining the local political relationships required to establish and maintain the Illinois Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship (TCS), a school choice policy of unprecedented magnitude in Illinois. Furthermore, this research examines local dynamics among parents in the Archdiocese of Chicago, many of whom benefit from the aforementioned tax credit scholarships and manifest a variety of views on the teleological purpose of the parochial school. In a nation that is both diverse and increasingly polarized, successful governance of community schools depends upon discerning leaders and the practice of reinvigorated federalism. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.

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This study examined the legal, statutory, and governance issues facing virtual charter schools. Virtual models of schooling have the potential to change the face of public education as such schools challenge traditional forms of education. Legislators, policy makers, and school boards must carefully consider existing charter school legislation and determine whether such language is applicable to virtual charter school models. As virtual forms of schooling increase, and choice options for parents become more readily available, the challenge is to develop statutory language that is not overly restrictive but provides a framework from which authorizers and governing boards may operate to ensure the quality, equity, and fiscal responsibility of virtual charter schools. The focus of the study was on the existing legislation in the 19 states with current virtual charter school statutes. The qualitative examination of case law, combined with a review of statutory language, provided the sources of data. Recommendations for policymakers, legislators, departments of education, and school boards were developed to ensure the instructional quality control, the compliance with state and federal statute, and the financial security of virtual charter schools. In an era where choice in education has become mainstream, monitoring the quality of choice options becomes paramount. The development of policies and laws relative to the careful operation of virtual charter schools, from authorization, to governance, to appropriate funding is in the purview of the state. Case law developed in states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where the legality of virtual charter schools has been challenged provides the legal standards for other state legislatures. The establishment of carefully worded legislation that addresses the issues inherent in the next version of school choice is critical to the successful operation of virtual charter schools. Oversight for funding, attendance, curriculum and instruction, and teacher certification is critical in both the authorizing and governance of such schools. Legislation that details the process for enrolling district and out of district students, the process for how the funding flows from the state, to the district, to the virtual charter school, and how the students will be counted for accountability purposes is critical to the successful implementation of virtual charter schools.

This case study explores school segregation prevention in Karlstads municipality. It adresses the division in Swedish schools based on students backgrounds and socioeconomic status, hindering education quality and limiting diverse interactions. Residential segregation and school choice contribute to the issue. Temporary solutions, like expanding existing schools, have been implemented, but a long-term approach is needed to maintain teaching quality and avoid overcrowding. The study acknowledges the impact of school choice freedom and the presence of private actors on the municipality´s ability to control student compositions. Within this context, the study examines the municipality´s capacity to control student flows through various measures such as reorganizing school units, constructing new schools, or adapting existing ones. Additionally, the study explores how localizing secondary schools can potentionally prevent school segregation. The study emphasize considering student composition and addressing segregation when planning school locations, particulary within the context of the proposed new secondary school in Karlstad.  The study finds that the free school choice limits municipality´s control over student flows and composition, leading to school segregation. Neo-liberal education reforms have created a market-driven school sector with private schools and free school choice. The responsibility for human development and success now lies with the local community and individuals. While attracting students based on status affects student flows and compositions, it does not prevent school segregation, as primarily resource-rich students change schools, reinforcing societal differences. Changing catchment areas, involving mixed residential areas, can partially prevent segregation but requires collaboration between politics, the municipality and the local community for legitimacy to overcome resistance. The study also finds that localization alone cannot prevent school segregation. Free school choice continues to hinder and limit the municipality´s efforts to combat segregation. Factors beyond the school´s control require actions beyond the the education sector. School choice based on socioeconomic status and student demographics increases dispaities and leads to homogeneous student compositions. While strategic localization can influence student compositions to some exent, it is insufficient when competition and school choice come into play. School localization cannot effectively counter schoolsegregation when students can opt out and attractiveness is crucial. However, ignoring free school choice is not an option for a successful investment in a new school. Factors like populaition growth and new housing in central areas contribute to increased demand, but the primary factors is students preference for central schools. Localization must consider this to compete for students and ensure sufficient capacity, benefiting students with choice while negatively impacting those remaining at unselected schools as their resources decrease.

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