What If You Can’t Learn Anywhere? Trapped by School Choice

In New York City, a hierarchical structure of schools and immense differences in educational quality exist. At the bottom of the educational hierarchy, neighborhood schools not only struggle with the least resources and students with the most needs but also contend with stigma of attending what are commonly known as “bad” schools. 1 The specialized, public high schools in NYC are known for top-quality education and for choosing and producing the finest students and graduates who become vital contributors to society. One can argue that the differences between public high schools within the NYC school system are emblematic of both the worst and the best aspects of urban public education in the United States. Elite public high schools seem to fulfill our need to believe in the meritocratic system of educational attainment and access. Depending on the outcome of standardized testing and grades, students gain entrance into some of the most prestigious public schools in the country. These schools are racially and ethnically diverse filled with bright students born in the United States and abroad. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.