ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of a literature review on qualitative sociological studies (including mixed method research) about parents’ school choice and proposes a comprehensive interpretation about them. The main finding of this research field has been to establish the close relationship between school choice and class structure, especially for the middle-classes, who find in the school choice a mean to separate them from the lower social classes. This phenomenon is discussed as a part of the more general processes of conformation of new middle-classes and re-structuring of the school systems, especially through market reforms in education. The paper finishes identifying some challenges for the study of school choice in Latin America, arguing that it is an increasingly relevant issue, but scarcely studied within this Region.
KEYWORDS:
school choice; educational market; school segregation; middle classes; post welfare state