Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect in an Urban School System

In: Social science quarterly, Band 76, Heft 3, S. 506-512

Abstract

A response to the paper in this journal issue by Valerie J. Martinez et al (see abstract in SA 44:4) on school choice programs in low-income urban areas. The question is raised of whether the economic model of school choice is appropriate, since the loss of consumers (in this case, students) is only a successful means of organizational motivation if it threatens the organization's existence. For school choice programs to succeed according to the economic model, the loss of students to competing schools must be great. It is argued that this student loss has never been great enough to provide the required motivation, & it is recommended that proponents of school choice face & resolve this problem before implementing their programs on a larger scale. 11 References. M. Wagner