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Exploring the Moral Complexity of School Choice: Philosophical Frameworks and Contributions

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Abstract

In this essay, I describe some of the methodological dimensions of my ongoing research into how parents choose schools. I particularly focus on how philosophical frameworks and analytical strategies have shaped the empirical portion of my research. My goal, in this essay, is to trace and explore the ways in which philosophy of education—as a methodological orientation—may enable researchers to be attentive to the normative dimensions of human experience. In addition, I will argue that philosophically informed empirical research offers new possibilities for making normative arguments that are closely connected to the non-ideal, complex ground of actual experience.

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Notes

  1. This is a pseudonym for the actual school district. All other names used here are also pseudonyms.

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Correspondence to Terri S. Wilson.

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Wilson, T.S. Exploring the Moral Complexity of School Choice: Philosophical Frameworks and Contributions. Stud Philos Educ 34, 181–191 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-014-9417-4

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