Public Schools and Urban Development

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Abstract
This article explores the relationship between the quality of public schooling and the pattern of urban development. An examination of recent research and other evidence suggests that public school quality influences people's choice of housing and the price of residential housing. Concern for good schools appears to affect the location decisions of both black and white households. A review of educational research reveals a strong consensus that it is possible to increase significantly the academic performance of schoolchildren even in low-income urban neighborhoods. The article concludes that the success of efforts to make urban areas attractive to families with children is inextricably linked to the improvement of urban public education.