Who Shops for Schooling and Why? A Study of Hartford Magnet Middle School a campus-community research project presented by Nivia Nieves ‘06, Aleesha Young ‘07, Naralys Estevez ‘06 and Professor Jack Dougherty Cities, Suburbs, and Schools Research Project Trinity College, Hartford CT Spring/Summer 2005

Segregation in Metropolitan Hartford

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

More non-white applicants (84%) applied to HMMS magnet than white applicants (16%)

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

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

White applicants are more likely to be accepted than non-white applicants

Findings: Acceptance vs. Enrollment Disparities

Suburban non-white students have relatively high rates of enrollment, therefore creating a “diversity paradox” in magnet schools

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 Motivations Push - Dissatisfaction with current school for any reason (such as class size) Pull - Attraction to magnet schools for any reason (such as convenient location) Parental Education Lower - 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

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”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.