The Effects of Buffalo’s School Choice Program on School-Family Relationships

A mural by Nicole Cherry featuring a buffalo silhouette filled with conifers and an orange moon against a dark starry sky, next to a white cloud reading "Welcome to Buffalo!".

Buffalo Public Schools has a school choice policy, but up to 70% of students don't attend their school of choice. Let's find out how this policy affects kids and families. 

Project is Not Currently Available

This project has reached full capacity for the current term. Please check back next semester for updates.

Project description

Although the Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) undertakes a complex school lottery process every year in the name of giving families a choice, an estimated 70% of students end up placed in schools by the district with no regard to their preferences, rather than choosing where to enroll. This system creates significant inequities, with Black students in Buffalo “much less likely to get the best choices or any choice” (Orfield et al., 2015, p. viii). Moreover, because students are often placed far from home, it’s harder for their families to participate actively in school activities. The Buffalo Education Equity Task Force, a 55-member community coalition devoted to eliminating barriers to educational equity in Buffalo, has invited UB GSE to investigate the effects of this policy on students and families, beginning with a comparative case study of community engagement and school-family relationships in BPS neighborhood and non-neighborhood schools. 

Project outcome

Students will have the opportunity either to co-present on the research with the principal investigator, ideally at the University Council of Education Administration (UCEA) conference, November 2024, or similar. 

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment About a semester; 3-5 months
Start time Fall (August/September) 
In-person, remote, or hybrid? In-Person Project 
Level of collaboration Small group project (2-3 students) 
Benefits Stipend 
Who is eligible Juniors & Seniors 

Core partners

  • The Buffalo Education Equity Task Force 

Project mentor

Simone Fried

Assistant Professor

Educational Leadership and Policy (GSE)

Phone: (716) 645-1099

Email: sfried@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
  2. After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.) 
Start the Digital Badge

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

Students will need to complete CITI training and read preparation materials, which will be provided during the summer. 

Keywords

education, education policy, school choice, Buffalo Public Schools, Buffalo