Abstract 

As school choice policies continue to become more prevalent nationally and internationally, educational scholars are interested in understanding how parents make school selection decisions. Existing studies of parental educational decision-making mainly explore how white, middle-class parents make educational decisions. There is limited research on the criteria Black parents, specifically Black mothers, prioritize when selecting schools for their children. This study draws on in-depth interviews with five Black mothers to explore the factors they consider when choosing schools for their elementary-aged children within a school choice context. Findings show Black mothers in this study prioritize factors to protect their children from racism and prepare them for racist practices embedded in American institutions and society.