RESEARCH BRIEF 15 - School Choice Programs and Resegregation

Oct 15, 2026

Research Brief 15 examines whether school choice programs contribute to the resegregation of American schools. It contrasts controlled versus unregulated choice, arguing that regulated policies more often promote racial and socioeconomic integration, while unregulated systems tend to worsen segregation. The brief discusses how court-ordered and voluntary plans differ after the 2007 Supreme Court ruling limiting individual race-based assignments, and reviews evidence on charter schools, open enrollment, and stratification impacts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Supporting Evidence

Controlled vs Unregulated School Choice

Charter Schools and Segregation

Intra- and Inter-district Open Enrollment Policies

RESEARCH BRIEF 15 | MARCH 2022 DO SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTE TO THE RESEGREGATION OF AMERICAN SCHOOLS? CASEY COBB In general, controlled school choice policies that aim to integrate schools along the lines of race or ethnicity and socioeconomic status are most often successful in achieving that goal. Unregulated systems of school choice, however, tend to exacerbate school segregation (Cobb & Glass, 2009) . SUPPORTING EVIDENCE School choice programs differ in the extent to which decisions over student assignments are regulated. The simplest distinction separates “controlled” school choice and “unregulated” school choice plans. Controlled school choice attempts to desegregate or integrate schools to promote more equitable peer environments. Numerous research studies point to the harmful influences of minority and classbased isolation endemic in so many of America’s schools as a result of residential segregation. At the same time, research also shows the benefits of racially and economically integrated schools that help foster cross-racial understanding, enhance critical thinking skills and academic achievement, and promote better life opportunities (Johnson, 2019; Linn & Welner, 2007; Mickelson & Nkomo, 2012; Orfield, Frankenberg, & Garces, 2008) . Controlled school choice programs consider a variety of student and school characteristics with the ultimate goal of balancing school enrollments by race, family wealth, and student achievement (Frankenberg, 2018; Orfield, 2013) . School districts that are under court orders to desegregate still may consider the race of individual students to achieve their goals. Even under court orders to desegregate, many modern-day plans rely on voluntary participation by families. Such plans often involve magnet schools (i.e. , special interest schools such as the arts or science) designed to attract students from diverse backgrounds. However, there is an important distinction between court-ordered versus voluntary integration plans. Districts that are not legally mandated to desegregate may–voluntarily–design school choice plans to foster integration. Voluntary school choice programs were once freely able to consider the race of individual students who chose to participate. But, a closely divided Supreme Court decision in 2007 (Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1) represented a major setback for voluntary student integration plans. The Court limited the use of individual race-based considerations in assigning students to schools. The Court’s ruling pressured districts with voluntary racial integration plans to either abandon them or attempt to desegregate by using neighborhood-based racial data or raceneutral characteristics, such as family income (Anderson & Frankenberg, 2019) . Unfortunately, race-neutral policies are not very effective at achieving racial integration (Siegel-Hawley, Frankenberg, & Ayscue, 2017; U.S. Department of Education, 2003) . Charter Schools and Segregation Charter schools operate by and large under conditions of unregulated school choice. Although some state charter school policies (such as those in California) encourage charter schools to strive for racial diversity—a goal made easier by their lack of traditional school attendance boundaries—this is rarely monitored by either the schools themselves or state agencies. Consequently, as several studies have shown, most charter schools end up more racially and economically homogeneous than the surrounding traditional public schools (Bifulco & Ladd, 2007; Cobb & Glass, 1999, 2001; Frankenberg, Siegel- Research Brief 15 | School Choice Programs and Resegregation page 2 of 6 PHOTO: VASYL - STOCK.ADOBE.COM Hawley, & Wang, 2011; Kotok et al. , 2017) . Two different charter school demographic profiles can be easily recognized: charter schools that predominantly serve students of color in urban communities, and charter schools that enroll predominantly White st

FAQs

What is the main question addressed by Research Brief 15?

Whether school choice programs contribute to the resegregation of American schools.

How do controlled and unregulated school choice programs differ in outcomes?

Controlled policies aim to integrate along lines of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status and are described as often successful, while unregulated systems tend to exacerbate segregation.

Why did the 2007 Supreme Court decision affect voluntary integration plans?

The ruling limited the use of individual race-based considerations in assigning students, pressuring districts to abandon such plans or use neighborhood-based racial data or race-neutral characteristics like family income.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West