The Relationship Between Parental Participation in School Choice Selection Process and Attendance, Behavior, and Mobility in Secondary Students

School choice selection process provides parents the option to enroll their child(ren) in a school that is aligned with the policy that is reflective of the specific district of residence. While there is research on school choice selection processes, this research study has focused on three primary student factors: student attendance, student behavior, and mobility of secondary students. This quantitative study examined the relationship between parents completing a school choice selection application or not completing a school choice selection application and the three primary student factors. This study examined existing achieved data of Grade 7 and Grade 9 students who transitioned during the 2015-2016 school year and results of a parent survey conducted by the school district. The data was split into groups by grade level and then by students whose parents completed a school choice selection application and students whose parents did not complete a school choice selection application. After applying a random sample to both groups, the data was analyzed using a point-biserial correlation. The analysis indicated that students whose parents participate in the school choice application process was significant for attendance and behavior. There was no significance for mobility. While the effect size was small, any factor that increases attendance and decrease missed instructional days is a positive factor in education. It is recommended that the school district continues the school choice selection process; however, further research regarding parents’ perspective of the process and how that could increase the number of parents participating should be done