Informing School-Choosing Families About Their Options: A Field Experiment From New Orleans

Abstract

We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of providing information to families as they choose schools. Likely applicants to prekindergarten, kindergarten, and ninth grade were assigned to one of three groups. A “growth” group received lists (via U.S. mail, email, and text message) of the highest performing schools they could request. A “distance” group received lists of schools in their home geographic zone. A “control” group did not see any schools highlighted. The growth treatment led applicants to request more high-growth schools, with the strongest effects for high school choosers and families of students with disabilities. In addition, applicants’ first-choice requests appeared less malleable than their lower ranked requests. The distance treatment had only modest effects.