Výběr základní školy v ČR a faktory, které jej ovlivňují =Primary school choice in the Czech Republic and related factors

Abstract

The influence of family background on educational attainment in the Czech Republic is strong compared to other countries internationally and there is great variation in the composition and academic performance of students between schools. Research to date has focused primarily on this issue in reference to multi-year gymnasia. This article concentrates on variation at the primary-school level, on which there are only limited empirical data available on the distribution of students. It looks at how important the choice of primary school by parents of preschool-age children is, how that choice is realized over time, and what parental characteristics influence their choice of school. The answers to these questions are obtained from an analysis of data from a questionnaire survey conducted in 2014 amongst a representative sample of 2008 parents of preschool-age children. The authors employ a logistic regression analysis and compare data for 2014 with data obtained in 2009 in a survey of parents with children who were of compulsory school age. These analyses reveal that there is currently universal support amongst parents for the right to choose between schools. The possibility to choose puts at an advantage those children whose parents have at least upper secondary education and live in large towns, who are able to effectively obtain information on the quality of schools, the potential effect of which is to reinforce existing educational inequalities.