Abstract

This study examined factors influencing high school choice among Utah families, comparing parent priorities between charter and traditional public high schools. Using one-way ANOVA with Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) post hoc comparisons, parental priorities were analyzed across personal, school community, and academic factors. Parents choosing traditional public high schools rated personal and school community factors significantly higher, emphasizing relationships and school climate, while charter high school parents rated academic factors significantly higher, favoring rigor and instructional quality. Charter parents' priorities were not uniform, however, but varied significantly by school model, suggesting that the charter-versus-traditional divide masks meaningful differences within the charter sector itself. Early college charter parents prioritized academic factors most strongly, reflecting a focus on accelerated coursework and postsecondary pathways rather than relational features. Classical and leadership charter parents, by contrast, rated school community factors among the highest of any charter type, more closely resembling traditional public school parents in their emphasis on culture and character development. These findings indicate that the charter versus traditional public high school choice in Utah is shaped as much by program design within the charter sector as by sector alone, offering school leaders in both settings a clearer, statistically grounded basis for aligning programming with family priorities.

Degree

EdD

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Educational Leadership and Foundations

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/