Transportation Logics: How Charter School Leaders Make Choices about Student Transportation

Purpose: We describe charter school leaders’ beliefs and practices as they relate to student transportation in three choice-rich cities. Research Methods/Approach: Data come from a multiple comparative case study of district and charter school leaders’ perceptions and implementation of transportation policies in three choice-rich cities with distinct student-transportation requirements, geographic landscapes, and school-choice markets. We analyzed public documentation and individual, semistructured interviews with 26 representatives from charter schools, authorizing agencies, and district administrators across the case sites. Findings: Even with local policies requiring universal transportation in two of our three case cities, charter school leaders did not foreground equity goals in school access when discussing transportation or did so in relatively weak ways. In contrast, all three cities showed evidence of market-based principles that, at times, were coupled with state and community values to bolster the legitimacy of market-driven transportation practices at the expense of equity goals. Despite the prevalence of the market-based values, we argue that local regulations and structures can support equitable transportation practices. Implications: Our results highlight the strong influence of market-based principles on charter school practices for student transportation. Without equitable provision of student transportation, the theory of change of school choice—that families will have equal access to schools—is challenged. State- and district-level regulations (such as transportation mandates) and structures (such as public transit and universal enrollment systems) can elevate goals of equity for charter school leaders or help manage competitive forces that compel charter schools to prioritize market-based goals over equity.