Labor Seminars Amsterdam

Speaker(s)
Peter Bergman (Columbia University, United States)
Date
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Location
Amsterdam

Access to high-quality public schools is key a determinant of upward mobility. School choice aims to improve both access and quality, and a growing form of school choice is manifested by publicly-funded charter schools. These schools are independently run, free, and open-enrollment. Proponents of charter schools argue they facilitate innovation, create competitive pressures that improve all schools, and can produce large gains in student achievement. Opponents argue charter schools cream skim high-performing students and resources away from traditional public schools and discriminate against disadvantaged students. We conducted a nationwide audit study to answer whether charter schools discriminate against certain types of applicants.