This article draws on two research studies conducted in London, UK, to problematize choice policies. It argues that, although in both the United States and the United Kingdom choice has often been promoted as a solution to social inequalities in urban schooling, evidence from the London data points to detrimental rather than positive effects. Educational choice practices can be seen to reinforce wider social processes of social exclusion in relation to both school and university choice, and the article argues for the need to balance getting the best for one’s own child with a commitment to a wider common good.
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