PEABODY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, 84: 191–208, 2009 Copyright C  Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0161-956X print / 1532-7930 online DOI: 10.1080/01619560902810146 All Choices Created Equal? The Role of Choice Sets in the Selection of Schools Courtney A. Bell Educational Testing Service Reformers suggest that parental choice will improve equity by making it possible for parents to select better schools for their children. A key assumption behind this claim is that parents choose from a set of schools that range in quality. Data from this longitudinal interview study suggest this assumption may be false. In one Midwestern city, parents of different social class backgrounds did not consider schools of similar quality. The set of schools considered by parents, called the choice set, differed; though parents’ choice processes and reasoning were remarkably similar. These data suggest that in addition to the well-documented constraints of income, information, and transportation, the resources used to construct choice sets may further constrain the schools parents consider. These findings raise questions about the ability of current choice policies to deliver the equity outcomes reformers suggest. Across the country, poor children and children of color are “trapped” in inferior schools (Kozol, 2005). Many are assigned to neighborhood schools that are poorly funded (Bifulco, 2005) and have the most inexperienced teachers (Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2002). They often do not have transportation which would allow them to leave those neighborhood schools (e.g., Blank, Levine, & Steel, 1996; Nelson, Muir, & Drown, 2000). And they cannot afford housing in neighborhoods with better schools (e.g., Logan, 2002). These facts, widely agreed upon by scholars across the political spectrum, contrast sharply with the belief that all children, regardless of where they grow up or how much money their parents earn, should have access to public schools that support high academic achievement. One potential solution to this problem is parental choice. Increased parental choice will allow these families to escape and select better schools for their children (e.g., Friedman & Friedman, 1980; Moe, 1995). This movement toward better schools will enhance equity by giving poor children and children of color access to a quality education. Finally, children will no longer be trapped. A key assumption behind this claim is the idea that parents choose among schools of varying quality. School choice theory rests on the idea that the set of schools from which parents select— their choice sets—must have at least some good schools. If parents’ choice sets contain only bad schools, school choice will allow them to escape, but their children will still be trapped in Correspondence should be sent to Courtney A. Bell, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, MS 04-R, Princeton, NJ 08541. E-mail: cbell@ets.org