Marketing, Information, and Parental Choice: A Comparative Case Study of Third-Party, Federally Funded Out-of-School-Time Services

Abstract

Information and promotional marketing play central but complex roles in market-based educational programs. This in-depth qualitative study examines these complexities using the case of Supplemental Educational Services, a parental choice program providing federally funded tutoring to low-income students in K–12 public schools. Examining the creation, dissemination, and use of information and promotional marketing is necessary in order to understand how aspects of market theory play out in reality. This kind of inquiry is especially important given that the theory of consumer action behind market-based programs is that parents1Throughout this paper, “parent” refers to parents and guardians. We use the term parent for simplicity, but the concept of parental choice, as well as the sample of participants in our study, includes nonparent guardians as well. will make the best decisions for their children's education, if they have sufficient information on which to base those decisions. Our data and analysis suggest three findings: first, public management of provider marketing can ensure that consumers receive marketing materials legally and appropriately; it can also help to level the playing field among providers with different marketing resources. Second, promotional materials infrequently focus on specific academic components. Third, districts are largely underutilizing their options in terms of sharing information on provider quality with parents. Together, these findings suggest that moderate regulation of marketing and an increased focus on provider academic quality are likely to improve consumer access to useful data.