The Effects of School Choice on Parental School Participation and School Satisfaction in Korea

This study examines the effects of the school choice policy by utilizing data from the Seoul Education Longitudinal Study. Specifically, the school participation and school satisfaction of parents whose child entered high school in 2010 through the high school choice policy are analyzed. The results reveal that the opportunity for school choice itself is not strongly relevant to parental participation in school. Parental participation in school is influenced more by individual factors than institutional factors. In addition, providing school choice does not lead to an increase in parental school satisfaction. Whether the students actually entered the school they preferred during the school choice phases has more significance than only having the right of choice. Based on the results, the implications of the study and some suggestions for the school choice policy in Korea are discussed.