Understanding Pathways to High School

In 2006, the Annie E. Casey Foundation approached Symphonic Strategies and requested our assistance with one of their educational initiatives. Given the relatively large high school dropout rates across the city of Baltimore, the Casey Foundation wanted to better understand why large proportions of students and parents in low-income communities were failing to take full advantage of the City's school choice policy.

Under the policy in effect at the time, students and families in Baltimore could choose to attend any public high school in the city. Unfortunately, there were (and still are) distinct differences in the quality of the education experience being offered from school to school. It was no surprise that schools in lower income, predominantly minority communities were underperforming when compared to schools in the more wealthy neighborhoods.

So, why would a student or parent in one of the lower income areas of Baltimore not choose to attend a higher performing school in another area? What were the barriers to effectively participating in the City's school choice policy?

These are among the questions we were asked to answer. Using cutting-edge technology, we conducted focus groups with rising 8th grade boys and girls, and an adult caregiver from their family, to understand the factors that influence their decision as to which high school to attend. The results were striking.

Read an excerpt from Understanding Pathways to High School.