‘School choice and segregation, evidence from an admission reform.’
Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation, Uppsala, Sweden, draft available here
Assesses the effects of a change in the admissions system to upper secondary schools introduced in the Stockholm municipality in 2000.
The reform allowed students to specify which school they wished to go to, with students with the highest grades given priority at over-subscribed schools. Previously students living closest to over-subscribed schools had been given priority.
While admission based on grades would clearly increase segregation by ability, the authors test the hypothesis that it also increases segregation in other characteristics – gender, parental income, parental education and immigrant status.
Key results:
The authors find evidence of increased segregation in all characteristics except gender.
While segregation in schools has increased, however, residential segregation does not appear to have increased.
