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This policy brief ( 32 p.) examines empirical research on the demographic characteristics of students and families who actively engage in school choice as well as the research on the motivations, preferences and behaviour of families who actively choose schools. Among the formal choice programs, including vouchers, charters, magnets, and controlled choice, the characteristics of those who exercise choice to some extent depend on the population targeted and the design of the choice program. Yet within choice options, the data also indicate that trends in enrolment by race and income vary widely among states and even districts. In contrast, there is much less variation in why parents and students exercise choice. The primary stated motivation in all types of choice is perceived academic quality; the primary influence in terms of documented behaviour is peer composition in terms of race and class. The specific reasons for, and approaches to, choosing depend on each unique family, but the evidence does show that White parents tend to avoid schools with high minority concentrations, and minority parents tend to avoid schools with high percentages of low-income students. Accordingly, school choice programs have the possibility of increasing racial and ethnic segregation, but policy design may be able to mitigate these effects. With literature and recommendations.

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