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Why did the moving to opportunity experiment not get young people into better schools?

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  • Xavier de Souza Briggs
  • Kadija S. Ferryman
  • Susan J. Popkin
  • María Rendón

Abstract

Educational failure is one of the costliest and most visible problems associated with ghetto poverty. We explore whether housing assistance that helps low‐income families move to better neighborhoods can also improve access to good schools. Research on the Gautreaux housing desegregation program indicated significant, long‐term educational benefits, yet results from the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) experiment showed no measurable impacts on school outcomes for the experimental group. We use interviews and ethnographic fieldwork to explore this puzzle. Most MTO families did not relocate to communities with substantially better schools, and those who did often moved again after a few years. Where parents had meaningful school choices, these were typically driven by poor information obtained from insular social networks or by cultural logic centered on avoiding ghetto‐type school insecurity and disorder, not garnering academic opportunity. Those factors may not shift if poor families with less educated parents are served by a relocation‐only strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Xavier de Souza Briggs & Kadija S. Ferryman & Susan J. Popkin & María Rendón, 2008. "Why did the moving to opportunity experiment not get young people into better schools?," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 53-91, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:houspd:v:19:y:2008:i:1:p:53-91
    DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2008.9521627
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    1. Briggs, Xavier, 2004. "Traps and Stepping Stones: Neighborhood Dynamics and Family Well-Being," Working Paper Series rwp04-015, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dionissi Aliprantis & Hal Martin & Kristen Tauber, 2020. "What Determines the Success of Housing Mobility Programs?," Working Papers 20-36R, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, revised 19 Oct 2022.
    2. Saiz, Albert, 2023. "The Global Housing Affordability Crisis: Policy Options and Strategies," IZA Policy Papers 203, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Uretsky, Mathew C. & Henneberger, Angela K., 2020. "Fifth year persisters: High school, college, and early career outcomes for persisting non-graduates," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).

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