Parents are biased against even quality 'urban' schools

An article in The Atlantic interviews Shelley Kimelberg, adjunct assistant professor of sociology, about her study that suggests that residents frequently harbor negative associations with the term “urban” and, by extension inner city communities and institutions such as schools. “We know that these terms, which might seem like they are neutral descriptions of physical spaces, are not neutral,” she said. “They reflect people’s lived experiences and the social environment.”