In search of a safe school: racialized perceptions of security and the school choice process

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Authors
Billingham, Chase M.
Kimelberg, Shelley McDonough
Faude, Sarah
Hunt, Matthew O.
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Issue Date
2020-01-23
Type
Article
Keywords
Education , Social psychology; crime , Sociology of racial and ethnic minorities
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Citation
Chase M. Billingham, Shelley M. Kimelberg, Sarah Faude & Matthew O. Hunt (2020) In Search of a Safe School: Racialized Perceptions of Security and the School Choice Process, The Sociological Quarterly
Abstract

Do school security policies affect how safe parents perceive schools to be, and do they influence parental choice behavior? We address these questions using data from a survey that asked U.S. parents to evaluate hypothetical schools whose security systems and student body racial composition were systematically varied, along with other school characteristics. Results indicate that parents identify schools with intensified security measures as less safe. Furthermore, parents are less willing to enroll their children in schools perceived as unsafe, schools with heightened security, and schools with high black enrollment. We discuss the implications of these findings for educational policy.

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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Journal
Book Title
Series
Sociological Quarterly;2020
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0038-0253
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