My So-Called Choice: The Trappings of School Choice for Non-Admits

Exploratory research investigates how students in a neighborhood high school navigate the complex school choice admissions process in New York City. Four years of in-depth, longitudinal interviews with thirty minority youth explores how their status as non-admits (students rejected from all schools) shapes their perceptions of peers and experiences in school. Non-admits feel duped into attending stigmatized neighborhood schools and believe their peers cannot be trusted. Analysis suggests school choice research and policy can be improved by: (1) considering students’ participation in the decision-making process; (2) investigating students who only receive the trappings of choice; (3) integrating the social consequences of school choice into current policy discussions and; (4) analyzing how the quality of officially published information about schools influences decision-making.