School Choice and Diversity

Abstract

This study investigated the reasons why parents choose to send their children to charter schools in the Nashville/Davidson County area. Over 100 parents were given a survey at eight charter schools. The survey consisted of 10 multiple choice questions and five short-answer questions. This survey was designed to find the primary and secondary factors as to what leads parents to choose charter schools. The primary finding of this study is that parents, in Nashville/Davidson County Tennessee, choose charter schools because of high academic standards. Some secondary reasons are distance from home and the school’s culture. Along with the study, this thesis also describes the history of charter schools in the United States and the history of charter schools in Tennessee.