Understanding Achilles’Heel - Information Dissemination, Readability, and Marketing in Urban School Choice

Oct 15, 2026

Scholars view parents’ knowledge about schools as the “Achilles’ heel” of school choice, yet the dissemination and accessibility of the choice information families receive remain underexplored. This study builds a case study of Chicago Public Schools and evaluates both readability and the content of materials used to support decisions. Results show readability and content constrain usefulness, while lack of centralized resources creates limited and unequal access. Recommendations focus on improving dissemination and accessibility.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Key findings

Implications and recommendations

Understanding Achilles’Heel: Information Dissemination, Readability, and Marketing in Urban School Choice Education and Urban Society 2019, Vol. 51(8) 1007–1028 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/0013124518761565](DOI: 10.1177/0013124518761565)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/0013124518761565)[journals.sagepub.com/home/eus](journals.sagepub.com/home/eus) Lori Delale-O’Connor 1 Abstract Scholars have long acknowledged that the information parents have about schools is the “Achilles’ heel” of school choice. Although much has been written about school choice, far less is known about the information disseminated to help families make choices. I construct a case study of the dissemination and accessibility of choice information in the Chicago Public Schools. I find that both the readability and content of the information disseminated limit its usefulness. In addition, a lack of centralized resources leads to both limited and disparate access. I conclude with modifications for improving information dissemination and accessibility. Keywords choice, accountability, change While there are myriad reasons that opponents of school choice dispute its potential for improving education and providing a pathway toward educational equity, scholars have long acknowledged that information surrounding 1 University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA Corresponding Author: Lori Delale-O’Connor, Center for Urban Education, University of Pittsburgh, 230 South Bouquet Street, 4309 Wesley Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Email: [loridoc@pitt.edu](loridoc@pitt.edu) choice is its “Achilles’heel”(Bridge, 1978) . Noneducation fields have documented the importance of information and information presentation for engaging in choice and decision making (see, for example, Bettman & Kakkar, 1977; Bybee, 1981; Kleinmuntz & Schkade, 1993; O’Reilly, 1982; Porat & Haas, 1969; Tversky & Kahneman, 1981); however, relatively little is known about the connection between schooling choices and the information generated to make these choices. As school choice in various forms proliferates, understanding the flow and dissemination of information will playa critical role in not only families’ outcomes in the processes but also an understanding of choice systems (in)equitability. This is of particular importance in urban schools and districts, as over half of large urban districts provide some form of school choice to families (Whitehurst, 2016). In particular, as these districts serve large proportions of low income, often Black and Brown families, the issues of equity that underpin choice rhetoric and practice are subject to scrutiny. Educational inequality is highly concentrated in schools with high proportions of minoritized—again, particularly Black and Brown—students (Milner, 2015; Saporito & Sohoni, 2007) . Choice is forwarded, in part, as a pathway toward equity; however, studies point to information disparities as one way that choice perpetuates rather than ameliorates education inequities. Understanding information—its flow, content, and use—is an integral part of understanding school choice, in particular, for large urban districts (Delale-O’Connor, 2017; Delale-O’Connor, 2018) . A critical aspect of disadvantage is connected to the information families receive around choice, including the content and quality of that information. If school choice is to remain a central part of the urban educational landscapes that serve low income and minoritized students, understanding the mechanisms that drive choice is necessary. Despite the understanding that information is in many ways at the core of choice participation, as Lubienski (2007) asserted,“surprisingly little attention” has been given to the quality, availability, and content of information available to families to make schooling decisions (p. 99). Indeed many studies have poin

FAQs

What gap in research does the article address?

It examines how choice information is disseminated and made accessible to families, an area where comparatively little is known compared with broader school choice research.

What does the study find about the choice information in Chicago Public Schools?

It finds that both the readability and the content of disseminated information limit its usefulness for families making choices.

Why does the article emphasize centralized resources?

It concludes that insufficient centralized resources lead to limited and disparate access to choice information across families.

Oct 15, 2026

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