Quentin Ramond - Fondecyt

Residential segregation and school choice in the Chilean centralized admission system

Fondecyt Iniciación n°11241178 (march 2024 - march 2027)

Abstract

This research project aims to comprehensively address the role of residential segregation in the process of school choice. It focuses on Chile, one of the most unequal country in the world, where a new centralized admission system has been implemented since 2016 in which parents can apply to as many school as they want and must rank their applications by preference order. The project develops two research lines:

First, I will examine three mechanisms that may explain how residential segregation affects school choice: (1) the unequal geography of schools; (2) neighborhood peer effects in school choice; (3) the social dynamics and reputations of schools' local environment. I will study these mechanisms at different spatial scales and at different stages of children's educational trajectory. For this purpose, I will use several administrative geocoded datasets.
Second, I will analyze the factors that structure location and housing tenure choice among families with school-age children, to assess the relative importance of the school dimension in these decisions. Specifically, in the context of increasing real estate prices and demand for rental housing, I will examine whether housing tenure choice (owning or renting) is associated with differences in families' location patterns and school choice. I will create a new survey administered to families with children (n=500).

Beyond academic contributions, the results of this project may hold relevance for public policies. On the one hand, it will bring new evidence to further improve the current school admission system to promote greater equality of educational opportunities. On the other hand, the results will provide relevant evidence for the implementation of a social rental housing policy that can address the current housing affordability crisis, by deepening the understanding of the expectations that explain the decision to rent among families with children, a highly segregated group.

Team

Quentin Ramond (principal investigator)