Citation
Lawrence, Elizabeth M. & Mollborn, Stefanie (2017). Racial/Ethnic Patterns of Kindergarten School Enrollment in the United States. Sociological Forum, 32(3), 635-658. PMCID: PMC5580830Abstract
Enrollment into unequal schools at the start of formal education is an important mechanism for the reproduction of racial/ethnic educational inequalities. We examine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in school enrollment options at kindergarten, the start of schooling. We use nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) to model whether parents seek information about their child’s school before enrolling, whether parents move to a location so that a child can attend a certain school, or whether parents enroll their child in a school other than the assigned public school. Results indicate that enrollment patterns differ greatly across race/ethnicity. Whereas Black families are the most likely to seek information on a school’s performance, White families are the most likely to use the elite option of choosing their residential location to access a particular school. These differences persist when controlling for socioeconomic status and sociogeographic location. Kindergarten enrollment patterns preserve the advantages of White families, perpetuating racial/ethnic disparities through multiple institutions and contributing to intergenerational processes of social stratification. Research should continue to examine specific educational consequences of housing inequities and residential segregation.URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/socf.12352Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2017Journal Title
Sociological ForumAuthor(s)
Lawrence, Elizabeth M.Mollborn, Stefanie