We all know the neighborhoods in our hometown – those that everyone wants to live in and those where your grandmother calls and checks on your safety. Unfortunately, neighborhoods are often symbols of income segregation. We choose where we live based on our preferences and a set of affordable options. According to a soon-to-be published study from Ann Owens of the University of Southern California, people without children are increasingly choosing diverse neighborhoods. However, when a family has school-aged children the study found that their preferences change from being close to work to being located in the best school zone. This means that middle income parents will not stay in a neighborhood unless they perceive that the schools are “good.” In her study, Owens looked at income segregation from 1990 to 2010 in the 100 largest metropolitan areas and found that the income segregation between neighborhoods increased by 20 percent among families with children, while it remained steady among families without children. Owens then examined whether the quality of schools could account for the difference. The study found that, from 1990 to 2010, income segregation grew among public school families by 17 percent and that that income segregation among public school families was 11 percent higher in 2010 than among all families with children – meaning that public school options have become a bigger factor in residential choice over time. There are policy implications to be taken from this data. Many families with school-aged children are still having to exercise public school choice by renting or purchasing a house. The study found that residential school choice is leading to increased income segregation. Owens sums it up by saying: “Policymakers need to consider new ideas in breaking the link between neighborhood residence and school attendance to thwart the increasing pace of segregation between neighborhoods, schools, and school districts among families with children.” Charter schools are one way to break this link. The National Alliance recently released a nationally representative survey of 1,000 parents of school-aged children. The survey found that, whereas 36 percent of parents with a household income of $150 thousand or more moved to their neighborhood for the schools, only 25 percent of parents with a household income of $50 thousand or less could say the same. Further, 62 percent of low-income parents strongly favor having a charter school open in their neighborhood, compared to just 38 percent of those making over $150 thousand per year. Charter schools allow families the opportunity to send their children to a high-quality school regardless of their address or income and – we need more of them.
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