Public Housing and School Choice in a Gentrified City: Youth Experiences of Uneven Opportunity (Palgrave Studies in Urban Education)

Winner of the 2016 AESA Critics' Choice Book Award Molly Makris uses an interdisciplinary approach to urban education policy to examine the formal education and physical environment of young people from low-income backgrounds and demonstrate how gentrification shapes these circumstances. "Without identifying heroes or villains, Makris' case study of school choice, public housing, and gentrification in Hoboken illuminates a powerful truth: housing policy and school policy are intimately linked. It also exposes two fictions: that neoliberal educational reforms will improve the quality of education for the most vulnerable youth, and that race and class have no relationship to parents' perceptions of school choice options and subsequent decisions about schooling. Hoboken's experience reminds us of the opportunities and dangers of relying on market-inspired reforms for creating diverse neighborhoods and equitable schools even when communities desire them."--Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Professor of Sociology, Public Policy, and Women and Gender Studies, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA "Besides providing a detailed analysis of contacts between haves and have-nots, Makris clarifies why schools are such an important part of the process. The book has important implications for race, urban planning, education, and the role of young people in shaping both the texture and substance of the environment in which they live."--William Helmreich, Professor of Sociology, The City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center, USA Molly Makris uses an interdisciplinary approach to urban education policy to examine the formal education and physical environment of young people from low-income backgrounds and demonstrate how gentrification shapes these circumstances. Public Housing and School Choice in a Gentrified City is a bold statement about education and housing policies that influence the lives of low-income youth. This multi-method study draws on interviews, youth research, and in-depth case studies from Hoboken, New Jersey to examine the influence of intra-district school choice and charter schools on the education of youth in public housing as well as the environmental experiences of low-income youth in a gentrified community. In her work, Molly Vollman Makris examines neoliberal nonegalitarianism, the creation of boutique charter schools, and changes to public housing policy. Makris' research also identifies a link between school choice, universal preschool, and the real estate market, and shows that these educational policies are creating what Makris calls prolonged gentrification. Importantly, the book provides readers with ideas to ameliorate the inequalities identified "Public Housing and School Choice in a Gentrified City is a bold statement about education and housing policies that influence the lives of low-income youth. This multi-method study draws on interviews, youth research, and in-depth case studies from Hoboken, New Jersey to examine the influence of intra-district school choice and charter schools on the education of youth in public housing as well as the environmental experiences of low-income youth in a gentrified community. In her work, Molly Vollman Makris examines neoliberal nonegalitarianism, the creation of boutique charter schools, and changes to public housing policy. Makris' research also identifies a link between school choice, universal preschool, and the real estate market, and shows that these educational policies are creating what Makris calls prolonged gentrification. Importantly, the book provides readers with ideas to ameliorate the inequalities identified"--Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages I-XVI A City Divided?....Pages 1-26 From the “Armpit of Hudson County” to the “Gold Coast”: Hoboken, New Jersey....Pages 27-50 Uneven Opportunities: Luis and Olivia....Pages 51-68 School Choice and Segregation in a Mile Squared....Pages 69-104 The “Golden Ticket”: Gentrification, Charter Schools, and a Parallel School System....Pages 105-145 “The Best Place to Get a Mocha”: Issues of Access for Youth in Public Housing in a Gentrified Community....Pages 147-170 Separate, Different, but Not Isolated: How Youth in Public Housing Relate to Their Gentrified Community....Pages 171-189 Prolonged Gentrification: Universal Preschool, School Choice, and Real Estate Development....Pages 191-196 “I Love Diversity”: Implications and Promise....Pages 197-206 Epilogue....Pages 207-211 Back Matter....Pages 213-238