Introduction Maintaining Their Advantage

Abstract

Alyssa1 is a New York City mother whose daughter is entering kindergarten. Alyssa is White. When it comes to school choice in New York City, as in many urban areas, Alyssa has options. Most children attend their zoned public school; however, there is a wide variety of school choice options, including gifted, dual language, unzoned, and charter schools. The problem is that most of these choices are racially and socioeconomically segregated. Like many other savvy parents interested in getting their children into the “best”—meaning disproportionately White—elementary schools, Alyssa attends costly school choice workshops, forms a “mommy group” that meets regularly to share insights about their public school options, and even pays for individual consultations with a school choice consultant to guide her through the admissions process.