Every fall, eighth graders participate in the School District of Philadelphia’s high school application and admissions process, vying for spots in a tiered system of public high schools across the city. This policy brief looks at disparities in the students who are successful in exercising school ‘choice’ in the District’s high school selection process. We found that Blacks, Latinos, males, and special education students were less likely than other groups to complete applications, and also less likely to be ultimately enrolled at a school of their choosing. These disparities were especially great at special admission high schools. The brief provides recommendations for school district reforms to reduce inequities and further research to examine their root causes.
Uneven Playing Field: Demographic Differences and High School ‘Choice’ in Philadelphia
Date: March 2010
Related Publications
Publication
The Evolving Promise of Postsecondary Education for Incarcerated Learners in California
What happens when the educational opportunities for incarcerated learners are fundamentally changed by the passage of education reform legislation? In which were designed to streamline developmental education by creating clear pathways to course placement, eliminating…
Publication
The Implementation, Impact, and Cost Effectiveness of Developmental Education Reform in California’s Community Colleges, Interim Report #3
California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 705, passed in 2017 and taking effect in fall 2019, fundamentally changed the postsecondary pathways available to students entering community college in the state. The law required colleges to revise their…
Publication
Literacy Practice Guides: Lessons from Four Philadelphia Literacy Pilot Programs Moving Students from Phonics to Fluency
In partnership with the William Penn Foundation, Research for Action (RFA) conducted a three-year, mixed-methods evaluation of four innovative early-literacy interventions in Philadelphia. The evaluation examined how community-based and school-embedded programs support young readers through structured, evidence-based…
Publication
Bringing History to Life: An Evaluation of the Penn Museum’s Unpacking the Past Program
Philadelphia is home to a vibrant network of cultural institutions that provide enriching educational experiences for students in the School District of Philadelphia. Among them, the Penn Museum’s Unpacking the Past (UtP) program engages more…
Publication
Educational Outcomes for Boys & Girls Club Members in California, 2021-22
Research has consistently shown that participation in high-quality out-of-school time programming has a positive impact on participants’ social and emotional development, academic achievement, and rates of engagement in risky behaviors. The research summarized in this…
Publication
Growing Per Pupil Fund Balances in Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools
This research update from Research for Action’s PACER project revisits and expands on prior analyses of fund balances across Pennsylvania’s public education sectors using the most recent 2023–24 data. The findings show that cyber charter…
Publication
The Increasing Reliance on Emergency Permits for Teachers in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s public education system is grappling with a significant and escalating reliance on emergency teaching permits. This increase reflects a growing teacher shortage across the state, characterized by a sharp decline in the number of…
Publication
Small But Mighty – An Audio Documentary
Why are Black teachers leaving the classroom—and what can be done to keep them? In this audio documentary, hosts Samuel Reed and Kevin Burgess dive deep into Research for Action’s groundbreaking study on Black teacher…