Accommodating all applicants? School choice and the regulation of enrolment

It is clear from research on school choice that the decision about where a student attends school is far from straightforward. Indeed, the body of work suggests that school choice is a double-edged sword, simultaneously improving educational access and outcomes for some, while undermining the quality of the educational experience for others. Much of the school choice literature has emerged from research in the United States and England, where school choice operates in the context of geographically explicit catchment areas.  This is not the case in Ireland, where all parents have the constitutional right to send their child to their school of choice. This research examines survey data from Galway City and urban fringe in combination with Department of Education and Skills (DES) documents relating to enrolment to consider how school choice operates on the ground.

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