Charter school reform as rational choice: An analysis of African American parents' perceptions of a charter school located in a residentially segregated community.

摘要

Charter schools have marked the educational landscape as one of the most interesting forms of school choice. However, contemporary research and education policy have not kept pace with the impact and implications of charter schools, specifically those ever growing in residentially segregated communities that are complicated by drugs, crime and high unemployment. This is a mixed methods research study that analyzed the perceptions of predominately African American charter school parents living in a residentially segregated community. The study also explored the possibility of whether or not the charter school provided access to social networks for its parents and students. A school that appeared to be a learning laboratory for some educators, parents and researchers, became a space of unlimited opportunities for others. More specifically, families trapped in the troubled community where this study took place viewed the charter school as more than an educational institution, but as a vehicle that could lead to social networks, thereby creating social capital. A metatheoretical analysis using Rational Choice Theory, Social Network Theory and Social Capital Theory were used to investigate how, why and for what reasons the parents in this study chose the charter school as an option for school choice. The study found that charter school parent's perceived their school to be a resource within their residentially segregated community for their children. Parents chose the charter school as an alternative to their child's previous school because it made them feel informed about the academic progress of their children and included them in the decision-making process. Additionally, parents reported that the charter school provided access to social networks that they could use to acquire social and cultural capital for their children. Further, the parents in this study maintained that their residentially segregated city, and high-crime community had a negative impact on the charter school's mission to serve its students. Finally, there was a relationship between the parents' level of income and how they felt about certain features of the charter school and their child's previous school.