Setting the default sort order to academic performance instead of distance from home induces parents to choose academically higher performing schools¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Changing the default sort order of school listings from distance from home to academic performance induced low-income parents to choose academically higher performing schools. → Steven Glazerman 2018
Evidence¶
Steven Glazerman 2018¶
Steven Glazerman, Ira Nichols-Barrer, Jon Valant, Jesse Chandler, Alyson Burnett. (2018). Nudging Parents to Choose Better Schools: The Importance of School Choice Architecture. Working Paper 65. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/nudging-parents-to-choose-better-schools-the-importance-of-school-choice-architecture
q3 · i? · causal · r?
The paper's summary of its factorial experiment reports that "simple design choices, such as setting the default sort order to academic performance instead of distance from home, could induce parents to choose academically higher performing schools." No effect size is printed in the available text.
"simple design choices, such as setting the default sort order to academic performance instead of distance from home, could induce parents to choose academically higher performing schools."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Changing the default order in which schools are presented induces meaningful changes in the types of schools low-income parents choose — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- Displaying data with icons or concise summaries led parents to choose schools with higher academic performance than graphs, numbers, or detailed displays — related
- Five school-information design factors each showed impacts on parents' knowledge, attitudes, or choice behavior — a broader claim this one bears on
- Commuting distance, school demographics, and academics play important roles in parents' school choices in Washington, DC — related
- After school closings, proximity to home was the deciding factor in families' enrollment choices, outweighing school ratings — related
- How school information is presented can affect how parents rank their school choices — a broader claim this one bears on
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
default-sort-academic-performance-shifts-school-choices |
title |
Setting the default sort order to academic performance instead of distance from home induces parents to choose academically higher performing schools |
description |
Setting the default sort order to academic performance instead of distance from home induces parents to choose academically higher performing schools |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2018 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — steven-glazerman-2018 |
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