Information Is Bliss

Abstract

If school choice programs are to provide any degree of equitable access to educational opportunities, then useful information about academic quality needs to be available to all participants, not just those who hob knob with the school board members or chat with the superintendent over the backyard fence. This study draws upon a unique data set to identify two information sources (parent websites and school choice enrollment guides) associated with low-income and minority families’ selection of higher quality schools in Denver. The study also highlights two types of information lacked by low-income and minority families who ended up selecting lower quality schools.