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[...] In conclusion, the document therefore highlights the need to design school choice policies that take into account equity considerations to avoid these systems exacerbating inequalities. Synthesis article "School choice and segregation: evidence from an admission reform" Martin Söderström and Roope Uusitalo, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 112(1):55-76, 2010. The article by Martin Söderström and Roope Uusitalo examines the effects of a school assignment reform on segregation in Stockholm high schools. The reform aimed to change the admission criteria for students to public institutions: before 2000, if there were more family requests than available places, the criterion used to differentiate parents was proximity to the establishment; from 2000 onwards, it is the student's academic level, based on their grades obtained at the end of secondary school, that is taken into account. [...]
[...] These analyses thus reveal that school choice has not led to an overall improvement in academic results. The hypothetical beneficial effects of competition, linked to the pressure put on public schools to improve their productivity, were not highlighted by this research. It thus highlights the limitations of school choice policies, particularly the fact that without adequate incentives, public schools may not react competitively. On the private schools' side, the risk of free choice policies is that they concentrate their competitive efforts on attracting the best students from public schools - especially since they can refuse family requests, invite them to interviews or require the passage of an admission test - rather than improving their pedagogical efficiency. [...]
[...] School choice programs are also seen as a means to improve overall education quality, by stimulating efficiency and innovation. On the other hand, critics of school choice point out that school choice primarily benefits those who already have an advantage due to their family context. As a result, this system may exacerbate the segregation of students based on their socio-economic status, ethnicity, and abilities. It increases inequalities in the context of schooling and reduces the potential of schools as vectors of social cohesion. [...]
[...] Thus, the study highlights that, while this school choice policy has allowed for a relaxation of the constraint of residential location on school choices, it has nonetheless accentuated segregation between schools, by favoring the grouping of students of homogeneous academic level, socioeconomic status, and ethnic origin in schools. Conclusion The school choice policies, such as those explored in these articles, reveal ambivalent effects on educational systems and social equity. The introduction of market mechanisms in education, such as school choice, is intended to stimulate competition between institutions, encouraging them to innovate and improve the quality of education. [...]
[...] The Chilean education system comprises three types of schools. Public schools accounted for 80% of students in 1981 before the reform, private non-subsidized schools, which accounted for around of students, were entirely funded by tuition fees. Finally, subsidized private schools, with no tuition fees for students, accounted for 15% of students. The main measure taken by the government in 1981 was to subsidize 100% of the cost of a student in subsidized schools (previously supported at through a school voucher system (vouchers). [...]
