who shops for schooling and why? a study of hartford magnet middle school a campus-community...
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Who Shops for Schooling and Why?A Study of Hartford Magnet Middle School
a campus-community research project presented byNivia Nieves ‘06, Aleesha Young ‘07, Naralys Estevez ‘06
and Professor Jack Dougherty
Cities, Suburbs, and Schools Research ProjectTrinity College, Hartford CT
Spring/Summer 2005
Segregation in Metropolitan Hartford
Magnet Schools for Voluntary Desegregation
Magnet Schools for Voluntary Desegregation
• Public schools that promote racial desegregation by “attracting” families from city of Hartford and surrounding suburbs
Magnet Schools for Voluntary Desegregation
The Learning Corridor - 4 magnet schools near Trinity
-research partnership with Hartford Magnet Middle School
Principal Delores Bolton
• Community-learning course for mid-level undergraduates
• Students co-design and conduct team research projects on questions of mutual interest
Educ 308: Cities, Suburbs, and Schools seminar
• Who applies to magnet schools?
• Who is accepted and who enrolls?
• What motivates families to apply?
• How do these processes vary across demographic groups in metropolitan Hartford?
Research Questions:
Sources:
Sources: School Application Records (546)
with two week introduction to Excel charts & pivot tables and ArcGIS mapping
Sources: Prospective Parent Interviews (51)
with two weeks on interview design and qualitative coding methods
Secondary Sources on other magnet systems
sociological studies on magnet schools in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati
Seminar: Constructing Claims with Evidence
Findings: Magnet Application Disparities
Findings: Magnet Application Disparities
• More non-white applicants (84%) applied to HMMS magnet than white applicants (16%)
HMMS Applicants by Race & Town 04-05
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Hartford White Hartford Non-White Suburban White Suburban Non-White
Findings: Magnet Application Disparities
• More non-white applicants (84%) applied to HMMS magnet than white applicants (16%)
• Suburban non-white application rate (21%) higher than most administrators expected
HMMS Applicants by Race & Town 04-05
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Hartford White Hartford Non-White Suburban White Suburban Non-White
Findings: Magnet Application Disparities
• More non-white applicants (84%) applied to HMMS magnet than white applicants (16%)
• Suburban non-white application rate (21%) higher than most administrators expected
1 dot = 1 application
Green = white applicants
Black = non-white applicants
Findings: Application vs. Acceptance Disparities
Findings: Application vs. Acceptance Disparities
• White applicants are more likely to be accepted than non-white applicants
HMMS Applicants & Accepted by Race and Town 04-05
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Hartford White Hartford Non-White Suburban White Suburban Non-White
Applied Accepted
Findings: Acceptance vs. Enrollment Disparities
Findings: Acceptance vs. Enrollment Disparities
• Suburban non-white students have relatively high rates of enrollment, therefore creating a “diversity paradox” in magnet schools
HMMS Accepted & Enrolled by
Race and Town 04-05
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
Hartford White Hartford Non-White Suburban White Suburban Non-White
Accepted Enrolled
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities
51 Interviews with prospective HMMS parents during open house session in January 2005
About the sample:White 31%Non-White 69%
Hartford 45%Suburb 55%
Low educ level 51%High educ level 49%
Definitions
MotivationsPush - Dissatisfaction with current school for any reason
(such as class size)Pull - Attraction to magnet schools for any reason (such as
convenient location)
Parental EducationLower - some high school, or high school diploma, or some
college (such as technical school)Higher - college or graduate school
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities (by race)
• Non-white parents are more likely to feel both “pushed” away from neighborhood schools and “pulled” towards magnet schools
HMMS Prospective Parent Motivations by Race, 04-05
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Push Pull Both Neither
White
Non-White
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities (by town)
Suburban parents were likely to be either “pushed” or “pulled” while Hartford parents were more likely to feel both “pushed” and “pulled”
HMMS Prospective Parent Motivations by Town, 04-05
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
PUSH PULL BOTH NEITHER
Suburb
Hartford
Thematic Analysis of Motivations: Categories identified in open-ended parental responses
• Better educational opportunities• Child attending: • Class size: • Convenient: • Curriculum/Teaching: • Diversity: • Do not like current school: • Friends attending: • Private school costs are high: • Reputation: • Security:
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities (by town)Hartford parents were more interested in magnet schools for convenience.
Suburban parents were more concerned with the curriculum and teaching, class size, high private school costs, and diversity.
HMMS Parent Motivation Disparities by Town
0%2%4%6%8%
10%12%14%
Curric & TchgConvenienceClass SizePriv Sch Cost
Diversity
Hartford
Suburb
Findings: Parent Motivation Similarities (by town)
Both Hartford and Suburban Parents were equally as interested in magnet schools for better educational opportunities, reputation of magnet school, dislike of child’s current school, enrollment of siblings, security, and enrollment friends.
HMMS Parent Motivation Similarities by Town
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
Ed Opp Reputation DislikeCurrent
Sibling Enr Security Friend Enr
Hartford
Suburb
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities (by race)Non-white parents were more likely than white parents to be concerned with better educational opportunities, curriculum and teaching, convenience, dislike of their child’s current school, school reputation, sibling enrollment, high private school costs, and security.
HMMS Parent Motivation Disparities by Race
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Ed OppCurric&TchgConvenienceDislike Current
ReputationSibling EnrPriv Sch Cost
Security
Non-White
White
Findings: Parent Motivation Similarities (by race)Both White and Non-white parents equally reported being motivated by the diversity of magnet schools.
Class size and having a friend enrolled in magnet school were also similar factors that motivate both White and Non-White parents.
HMMS Parent Motivation Similarities by Race
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Diversity Class Size Friend Enr
Non-White
White
Findings: Parent Motivation Disparities (by parent education)
Parents with the lowest levels of education were motivated by better educational opportunities, school reputation, convenience, having a sibling enrolled.Parents with the highest levels of education were more attracted to magnets for diversity.
HMMS Parent Motivation Disparities by Parent Education
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
Ed Opp Reputation Convenience Sibling Enr Diversity
HIGH
LOW
Findings: Parent Motivation Similarities (by Parent Education)
Parents with both high and low education levels were motivated by curriculum and teaching, dislike of child’s current school, high private school costs, class size, security, and by having a friend enrolled in a magnet school.
HMMS Parent Motivation Similarities by Parent Education
0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%
10%
Curric&Tchg DislikeCurrent
Priv sch cost Class Size Security Friend Enr
HIGH
LOW