Toward a balanced demographic: A case study of parents's preference for rural charter schools

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Andrew Harris (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: "Against a background of failure on the part of the focus of this case study to adhere to its founding charter in terms of enrollment , the purpose of this study was to explore how and why rural parents choose charter schools over traditional public schools. Using data collected through individual and focus group interviews , field observations , and source documents from a new rural public charter school , this case study examined the choice process employed by parents of the school's target and non-target populations through the lens of a hybrid school choice decision-making model. Parents considered a variety of student , school , and community factors when making their school choice decisions. Negative influencers included difficulties accessing school transportation , facilities conditions , and a fear of leaving friends. Though parents cited specialized programming as playing a role in their decision to enroll their children at the rural charter school , a positive school climate characterized by a ""culture of care"" emerged as the most powerful influencer of school choice. Implementation of a new , focused marketing mix strategy aligned to a 7Ps framework and informed by study findings led to a significant increase in the enrollment of target population students. Results demonstrate that a carefully designed marketing mix strategy can be a powerful tool to achieve demographically balanced enrollment in rural charter schools. In addition to the implications for recruitment and retention efforts of traditional and charter schools , this study highlights the profound impact of community on parents' decision making in a rural context , and it offers a new process model for future studies of school choice decision making."

Additional Information

Publication

Dissertation

Language: English

Date: 2018

Keywords

decision making

Subjects

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